So farewell then, Encyclopedia Britannica

Post by **spot** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 9:19 am

Do we remember the words of Douglas Adams from 1978, and his fictional guide written by freelance hitch-hikers which has "[...] already supplanted the Encyclopaedia Galactica as the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom, for though it has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, it scores over the older, more pedestrian work in two important respects... First, it's slightly cheaper; and secondly it has the words "DON'T PANIC" inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover"?

All hail, Wikipedia, which pushed Britannica over the edge after a mere eleven years' building. Britannica's 11th edition of 1911 took 140 years to create and was the pinnacle, at least in English, of the encyclopedist's art (after which, as Wikipedia expresses it, "American owners gradually simplified articles, making them less scholarly for a mass market" and the effort went down the tubes).

I'm still wildly impressed by Douglas Adams' prescience though. Or maybe Wikipedia only exists because H2G2 brought it into being.

K.Snyder · Post by **K.Snyder** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 9:43 am

spot;1387936 wrote: Do we remember the words of Douglas Adams from 1978, and his fictional guide written by freelance hitch-hikers which has "[...] already supplanted the Encyclopaedia Galactica as the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom, for though it has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, it scores over the older, more pedestrian work in two important respects... First, it's slightly cheaper; and secondly it has the words "DON'T PANIC" inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover"?

All hail, Wikipedia, which pushed Britannica over the edge after a mere eleven years' building. Britannica's 11th edition of 1911 took 140 years to create and was the pinnacle, at least in English, of the encyclopedist's art (after which, as Wikipedia expresses it, "American owners gradually simplified articles, making them less scholarly for a mass market" and the effort went down the tubes).

I'm still wildly impressed by Douglas Adams' prescience though. Or maybe Wikipedia only exists because H2G2 brought it into being.Yes, and all hail the information age!!!!! :yh_rotfl

fuzzywuzzy · Post by **fuzzywuzzy** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 1:19 pm

Do we remember the words of Douglas Adams from 1978, and his fictional guide written by freelance hitch-hikers which has "[...] already supplanted the Encyclopaedia Galactica as the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom, for though it has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, it scores over the older, more pedestrian work in two important respects... First, it's slightly cheaper; and secondly it has the words "DON'T PANIC" inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover"?

Oh my god that just made my day!!!

I like my hard cover encyclopedias. i believe there will be mass scholarly panic around the world one day when we have a solar storm and all internet shuts down . Oh and the ole' folk will say ..."go to the library" and the return cry will be ..."but I just told you the internet shut down "........sigh.

koan · Post by **koan** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 9:26 am

There's a whole bunch of travelling salesman jobs out the cyber window.

Wandrin · Post by **Wandrin** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 9:37 am

Does this mean that my set of Britannica will become a collector's item? I've been trying to donate it for a few months, but schools, libraries, etc. aren't interested.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 10:28 am

Wandrin;1388119 wrote: Does this mean that my set of Britannica will become a collector's item? I've been trying to donate it for a few months, but schools, libraries, etc. aren't interested.

The 1911 edition will - I spent hours sitting here trying to proofread sections of it and it makes better reading than my 199? edition.

Post by **spot** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 10:38 am

Bryn Mawr;1388121 wrote: The 1911 edition will - I spent hours sitting here trying to proofread sections of it and it makes better reading than my 199? edition.

I saw one years ago in the back of a second-hand bookshop in Chepstow for £200. Had I not been out on my bicycle I might have walked off with it. I settled for fish and chips across the road.

Ahso! · Post by **Ahso!** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 11:05 am

I've got the set of encyclopedias and Great Books Of The Western World which I couldn't unload even on Craigslist. Maybe, if we're lucky these books may one day take on a resurgence in demand and value as turntables have.