Remember that dreaded school research report on the history of ___________ (insert any subject here)?
I remember heading into the “living room” – a room in our house that seldom saw any use, unless you needed to reach among the collectible crystal and ceramic figurines from the family’s homeland country of Poland or Lithuania to grab that ultimate source of information that nearly every single 8th grade kid based their entire report on…
The Encyclopedia Britannica.
“After 244 years, the Encyclopaedia Britannica has come to the end of the road. It’s going out of print to be replaced by a $70 annual-subscription online service. The last paper version, which weighed in at 129lb, consisted of 32 volumes and cost $1,400. It was significantly out of date before it reached the printing presses, let alone the bookshelves,” according to this Tech Republic post.
In our home, the set was so important it “made the cut” to be proudly displayed with the rest of the storied family heirlooms and items of artistic impression. That was 30 years ago. Today, I think my parents may have them stashed away in the basement in some box below the stairs…behind the Christmas decorations, and under the old dishes and silverware we cannot get rid of “because you never know – we might have a cabin someday and will need these dishes” argument.
Today, my daughter does all of her school research online. How lucky this generation is. You try holding the pages of volume 10 open while trying to copy the text word for word, writing your footnotes. Now, it’s highlight, right click copy, right click paste. But, seriously, how great is digital when you really think of how we used to do research? The information is assured to be more up to date, the perspectives are wide ranging, the sources of information almost endless.
The end of the Enclopedia Britannica brought back some good memories, but if I had to pick between then and now for my kids. I’ll take the internet over $1400.00 of books sitting on some shelf in our house…and since we don’t have a “living room” we would have to find a spot. Maybe in the basement in some box below the stairs, behind the Christmas decorations, and under the old dishes and silverware we cannot get rid…seems to work.
What do you remember most about your parents proud Encyclopedia Britannica collection?
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