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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 7:30 pm 
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Encyclopaedia Britannica Kills its Print Edition
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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.

Knew it was coming, just like the slow death of print news, but still gives me a sad. :(

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 8:08 pm 
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So sad. My parents bought me the Encyclopaedia* Brittanica when I was a little kid. I loved everything about it - size of the volumes, the printing, the thinness of the individual pages, the illustrations, even the special bookcase they came in. What can I say? I was sort of a weird little kid.

Not that weird though, now that I think of it. I also remember getting the giggles looking at pictures of nude male statues with girlfriends... first time many of us had seen a grown-up set of male "equipment".

*I swear it was spelled this way when I was a kid - only Brittanica, not World Book or any others...and the letters "a" and "e" were merged.

OMG - kerning - my parents bought me a fake Encyclopaedia set. Everything I thought I was learning was usurped!

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 8:22 pm 
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I told this story already:
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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.
Who'd have ever thought printing on paper would become obsolete?

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 9:02 pm 
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I learned to spell encyclopedia from Jiminy Cricket.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 10:21 pm 
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We had 2 set. 1 was about 1937, one about 1945. We used them in the 1970s. I never learned anything in the first half of the T's as that volume served as a leg for the couch. I actually did enjoy reading them.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 10:32 pm 
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Reading the encyclopedia was one of my hobbies when we lived in countries without tv or well-stocked libraries. J was my fave letter.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 10:40 pm 
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Maru wrote:
Reading the encyclopedia was one of my hobbies when we lived in countries without tv or well-stocked libraries. J was my fave letter.


Jewelry... Japan... Jasmine...Jacket... Junk Bonds... Joints...

Yup, I can see that! :hug:

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 11:07 pm 
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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. :roll:

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 11:25 am 
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gimmeabreak wrote:
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. :roll:


I think they screwed up the Britannica when they moved to that stupid Micropaedia/Macropaedia format.

I still have a 1968 Britannica, which was before they did that stupid shit.

Edit: Obviously, it's still a sort of tragedy for them to stop printing them. Think of all the actual encyclopedia salesmen who will now have to become burglars for real.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 2:14 pm 
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We got a World Book set when I was a youngster. It had long since occurred to me how sad it is that the damned thing expires every couple years unless you buy the year books. Makes more sense to do it online, IMO.

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