The first Encyclopaedia Britannica was printed in 1768. And now, 244 years later, it has been printed for the last time. At least as a set of bound books.

Its publisher has announced that it will no longer be publishing the print version, and will stop selling it when current stock runs out. It will continue to publish a digital version, which can be accessed on its website and through its iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch apps. The digital option costs $70 a year, while the last printed version cost $1,400.

Britannica has printed a new version of the reference books every two years; the 2010 32-volume set will be the last.

“This is a decision we have been contemplating for a few years. We decided to break the news now as it was time to release a new printed version,” Jorge Cauz, the president of Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., told ABC News.

My parents were given an Encyclopedia Brittanica for saving a baby's life.

The parents were out of town but had given us permission to use their swimming pool. We drove up there one fine afternoon, and when we got there, the baby and the babysitter (who didn't know how to swim) were both drowning. My mom and dad fished them out of the pool and gave them mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and saved them both.

They had discussed stopping at the drugstore on the way, but decided against it. If they had stopped, we would have found two dead bodies.

Reading the encyclopedia was one of my hobbies when we lived in countries without tv or well-stocked libraries. J was my fave letter.

This makes me vaguely sad. I can understand it, but still.

I was this vaguely sad when I heard that may public schools were also discontinuing teaching cursive handwriting.


But I could just be old, too.