Goodbye Encyclopedia…

Yes. It’s true. According to CNN, after 244 years, Encyclopedia Britannica will cease production of its iconic multi-volume book sets.

For our younger readers, maybe you’re saying, “What’s an encyclopedia?” But many of us remember these tomes fondly. We had a set on the bottom shelf of our bookcase crowing up. (Yes, this was before the Internet. There was a time when Google and Wikipedia didn’t exist. Shocking, I know!) I remember libraries having multiple sets of encyclopedia from different companies.

The decision to no longer print the hard-bound books isn’t a surprising one. It’s a natural  evolution. After all, look at the rise of e-books in general.

What was a surprise to me when I read the CNN piece was that Britannica has an online version of its encyclopedia. I didn’t know that. Maybe I’ll check it out. I imagine it’s more reliable than Wikipedia.

How do you feel about the death of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Sad? Indifferent? Happy to see the company evolve and stay connected somehow? We’d love to hear your thoughts.