Friday, March 16, 2012

Encyclopedia Britannica (print edition)

One of the thousands of pictures of Encyclopedia volumes shot to illustrate the rash of stories about the demise of the printed version of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Thanks to Doug Turley for requesting this obit!
More ink has been shed on this story than seems possible. I have selected four stories out of the avalanche that seem to best represent the spread of opinion about the demise of this once-ubiquitous resource. Owning it was a sign of prestige. Cribbing out of it for school reports was common. Leafing through it on a rainy day was immensely rewarding. And the jokes and cartoons about its salesmen can now go sit beside those concerning blacksmiths, lamplighters and switchboard operators.

There is something unbeatable about the illusion of having all the knowledge of the universe compiled tidily between the covers of these multiple volumes. Their wonderful heft and tactile reward, the wonderful musty book-smell of them, the bland assurance of their prose -- so reassuring.

Now, of course, we can harbor the illusion that we have all the knowledge of the universe compiled digitally, at the beck of our typing fingertips. That illusion has yet to be supplanted.

Anyway, here are your posts:

Christian Science Monitor -- the basic facts.

Huffington Post -- memories of an encyclopedia salesman.

Slate -- the author hated the Encyclopedia Britannica, and tells us why.

The Guardian -- going bravely onward into the Information Revolution.

No comments:

Post a Comment