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I just bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print, and I regret
nothing

The still-updated World Book Encyclopedia is my antidote to the information
apocalypse.

  by [25]Benj Edwards - Jun 9, 2023 11:30 am UTC
  [26]190

  [world_book_hero_2-800x450.jpg]
  A photo of the 2023 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia on the
  author's family room shelf.
  Benj Edwards

  These days, many of us live online, where machine-generated content has
  begun to [27]pollute the Internet with misinformation and noise. At a
  time when it's hard to know what information to trust, I felt delight
  when I recently learned that World Book [28]still prints an up-to-date
  book encyclopedia in 2023. Although the term "encyclopedia" is now
  almost synonymous with [29]Wikipedia, it's refreshing to see such a
  sizable reference printed on paper. So I [30]bought one, and I'll tell
  you why.

  Based in Chicago, World Book, Inc. first published an encyclopedia in
  1917, and it has released a new edition almost every year since 1925.
  The company, a subsidiary of Warren Buffett's [31]Berkshire Hathaway,
  claims that its encyclopedia is "the only general reference
  encyclopedia still published today." My research seems to back up this
  claim; it's true even for other languages. Its fiercest competitor of
  yore, The Encyclopedia Britannica, [32]ended its print run in 2012
  after 244 years in print.

  In a nod to our present digital age, World Book also offers its
  encyclopedia as a [33]subscription service through the web. Yet it's
  the print version that mystifies and attracts my fascination. Why does
  it still exist?

  "Because there is still a demand!" Tom Evans, World Book's
  editor-in-chief, told Ars over email.

  Today, up-to-date information flows freely thanks to the Internet. It's
  only a Google search away. Many people rely on Wikipedia, which is a
  nonprofit collaborative resource, for reference purposes. Despite that,
  some people and organizations apparently still buy paper encyclopedias.
  Evans said that sales of the print edition are "in the thousands" and
  that World Book always prints just enough copies to satisfy demand.
  [34][encyclopedia_britannica-640x276.jpg]
  [35]Enlarge / The Encyclopedia Britannica, a competitor of World Book,
  ended its print run in 2012.
  Encyclopedia Britannica

  A World Book rep [36]told Quartz in 2019 that the print encyclopedia
  sold mostly to schools, public libraries, and homeschooling families.
  Today, Evans says that public and school libraries are still the
  company's primary customers. "World Book has a loyal following of
  librarians who understand the importance of a general reference
  encyclopedia in print form, accessible to all."

  As a kid, our family owned a 1968 edition of World Book that I relied
  on for school reports and projects all the way until my high school
  graduation in 1999, although I briefly used [37]Microsoft Encarta on
  CD-ROM and a [38]CompuServe encyclopedia in the 1990s. At the time,
  even with electronic references, instantaneous, up-to-date information
  didn't seem as important. We were still largely operating at the speed
  of paper. While that concept seems foreign to us in our current world,
  there was a certain kind of comfort in that slowness.

  Speaking of slow, a paper encyclopedia set certainly can't run away
  from you. Back in the day, our family's encyclopedia set took up a
  large dedicated shelf in our family room. Just like my old 1968
  edition, the new print edition of World Book is a physically hefty
  reference. The 2023 version spans 17,000 articles spread over 14,000
  pages in 22 volumes. The company says it features over 25,000
  photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and maps.

  All this paper-bound content can't possibly come cheap, you might
  think. And, of course, you're right. At a time when most information
  comes to us for free online (with [39]strings attached, of course),
  it's easy to have sticker shock at the $1,199 retail price for the 2023
  edition of World Book, although shoppers might occasionally find it for
  as low as $799 on Amazon (to compare, the online subscription costs
  [40]$250 per year). Earlier editions are available for much lower
  prices.

  I know it may seem weird to prefer the print edition since you can get
  the same content in the online version in a space-saving and portable
  format. But with the paper version, the World Book will always be
  yours. It can't be edited stealthily or taken down if the company needs
  the server space or goes out of business.

  So I took the plunge.

  [41]Expand full story

  Page: 1 [42]2 [43]3 [44]Next →

  [45]Reader comments 190

  [46][benj_ega_small.png]

  [47]Benj Edwards / Benj Edwards is an AI and Machine Learning Reporter
  for Ars Technica. In his free time, he writes and records music,
  collects vintage computers, and enjoys nature. He lives in Raleigh, NC.
  Advertisement
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