| [27], In 1903, Saalfield Publishing published the Americanized Encyclopdia Britannica in 8 volumes with a 4 volume supplement (when the British edition had 24 volumes). And a 22-volume set of the 2004 World Books could be snatched up for $189.99. Charles Merivale, Dr. Joseph Dalton Hooker, Baron Robert Bunsen, Sir John Herschel, Professors Richard Owen, John Stuart Blackie and William Thomson (Lord Kelvin). These strong fluctuations in sales led to economic hardship for the Britannica. [17] Accordingly, the 3rd edition's 30-page entry "Earth," as well as its 24-page article "Earthquake," and the geological sections of its article "Natural History", were dropped, as these topics are found in the 4th edition's newly written article, which is 78 pages long and has its own index. Under the editorship of Philip W. Goetz, the 1985 version of the 15th edition introduced other major changes. Most of the maps of this edition (eighteen of them) are found in a single 195-page article, "Geography". Needing an editor, the two chose a 28-year-old scholar named William Smellie who was offered 200 pounds sterling to produce the encyclopedia in 100 parts (called "numbers" and equivalent to thick pamphlets), which were later bound into three volumes. The 6th edition was a reprint of the 5th with a modern typeface. How much did Encyclopedia Britannica cost in 1970? ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, 1911 11th and 12th Edition DVD! "Preface to the 5th edition, 1817" page. [23] Robert Louis Stevenson, then 25, contributed an article about Robert Burns that, being unenthusiastic, was never printed. The supplement was compiled, for the first five volumes, at a pace which would have given it more than the 6 volumes it eventually would consist of; the alphabet from A-M was put into those five. Theres no such thing as a bad questionbut there are bad answers, the site says. The machine cost only $4,400 in inflation-adjusted dollars. Encyclopaedia Britannica cost $1400 for a full 32-volume print edition. Encyclopaedia Britannica cost $1400 for a full 32-volume print edition. After securing sole-ownership rights in December 1816, Constable began work on a supplement to the 5th edition, even before the fifth edition had been released (1817). It contained 21 numbered volumes, with 17,957 pages and 402 plates. Earlier encyclopedias did not maintain a continuous editorial staff, but rather assembled one just prior to beginning a new edition. This message will appear once per week Encyclopdia Britannica versus Microsoft Encarta", "CD-ROM Technology Poses Challenge for Encyclopedia Industry", "Encyclopdia Britannica changes to survive", Retrenching from web in 2001, return to book form, Free access and download of the Scribner's 9th Edition, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_the_Encyclopdia_Britannica&oldid=1121066541, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Articles needing additional references from June 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing additional references from April 2016, Articles that may contain original research from April 2016, All articles that may contain original research, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2016, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from April 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2016, Articles needing additional references from November 2010, Articles needing additional references from May 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 10 November 2022, at 09:18. The Encyclopedia as known up to 2012 was incurring unsustainable losses and the print editions were ended, but it continues on the Internet.[1][2]. It was nothing to be compared to a typical encyclopedia index, such as the ones found at the end of the seventh and further editions of Britannica. All in all, the fourth, fifth, and sixth editions are virtually the same as each other. Does anyone buy old encyclopedias? Although Sears' handy set was successful in 19151916, sales dropped significantly when the United States entered World War I. It currently is out of print and sold out. In 1890, James Clarke published the Americanized Encyclopdia Britannica, Revised and Amended which was only 10 volumes, as was the 1895 Belford-Clark issue by the same name (Chicago). Now, the Encyclopaedia Britannica will only be available in digital versions. Nearly doubling the scope of the 2nd edition, Macfarquhar's encyclopedic vision was finally realized. ", Unfortunately, Constable went bankrupt on 19 January 1826 and the rights to the Britannica were sold on auction; they were eventually bought on 16 July 1828 for 6150 pounds sterling by a partnership of four men: Adam Black (a publisher), Alexander Wight (a banker), Abram Thomson (a bookbinder) and Thomas Allen, the proprietor of the Caledonian Mercury. An analysis of the Britannica's articles suggested that roughly 75% required only occasional revising, whereas 25% required revision every 13 years. Curated collections of our first edition book are now available online through a Britannica membership. The last part of the 10th volume was a supplement that brought the work up to date and corrected errors. The last printing was in 2011. Both Medicine (35 pages) and Optics (163 pages), which were treated under the three heads of history, theory, and practice, have indexes attached; the new treatise Pharmacy (127 pages) also had an index. The 11th edition employed 35 named female contributors, out of 1500 total (2.3%). It was a dictionary of Arts, Sciences, &c., running to 10 volumes of some 9,000 pages. ", "Does it make any money?" Written byFloret. Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1991, under the word geology. The work was undertaken by James Tytler (17451804), a brilliant but penniless polymath described by the Scottish poet Robert Burns as an obscure, tippling, but extraordinary body, who was later outlawed for printing a seditious handbill and died at Salem, Mass. #1 Can anyone tell me how much a set of World Book Encyclopedias cost in the early 1970's? To address this problem, Powell suggested in 1933 the policy of continuous revision, with the goal of keeping the Britannica "always timely and always salable". When Dr. Traill fell ill, he was assisted by a young Scottish philosopher, John Downes. Monitor journalism changes lives because we open that too-small box that most people think they live in. [10] Scribners' claimed U. S. copyright on several of the individual articles. Recycling encyclopedias Call your local library and ask if you may donate your set to be sold. It was either a door-to-door salesman or a hawker at the county fair who suckered my parents into buying the Encyclopedia Britannica. how much did a set of encyclopedias cost in 1970, how much is a complete set of encyclopedia britannica worth . [32] However, the 11th edition did employ hundreds of women to write unsigned articles; some women, such as Irish medical expert Harriet Hennessy, even rose to be (uncredited) department editors.[32]. Looking back, its obvious that of all the gimmicky things my parents bought, these books were their biggest mistakethe most expensive, the most useless, and the most exploitative. The index, published in 1861, was 239 pages, and was either bound alone as an unnumbered 22nd volume, or was bound together with volume I, the dissertations volume. The following account sketches the development of the Encyclopdia Britannica from its Scottish beginnings to its established position as a major English-language work of reference with editorial offices in Chicago and thousands of contributors worldwide. The article "Chemistry," which was 261 pages long in the 3rd, written by James Tytler, and had been re-written in that edition's supplement as a 191-page treatise by Thomas Thomson, appears in the 4th edition as an entirely new 358-page article, which, according to the preface to the 5th edition, was authored by Millar himself. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). However, English-composed encyclopedias appeared in the 18th century, beginning with Lexicon technicum, or A Universal English Dictionary of Arts and Sciences by John Harris (two volumes, published 1704 and 1710, respectively), which contained articles by such contributors as Isaac Newton. March 14, 2012 Does anyone buy Encyclopedia Britannica? Sixty pages of new information were added onto the end of "America," which grew to 138 pages, with an index and new maps. XII". BUY, SELL & VALUE Encyclopedia Britannica - FIND TODAY's SELECTED Encyclopedia Britannica offered FOR SALE, BEST OFFER and Auction. Updates? This supplement had remarkably illustrious contributors. But hardly anybody pays even that: the vast majority of copies are given away to promote the sale of computers and peripherals. [4] A & C Black had moved to London in 1895 and, on 9 May 1901, sold all the rights to the Britannica to Hooper and Jackson, then living in London. To reproduce a foreign publication is not wrong. In 1941, Sears offered the rights to the Britannica as a gift to the University of Chicago. There is a standard set of encyclopedias that costs over a thousand dollars. [citation needed] Hooper recognized the potential profit in the Britannica and, again in 1896, learned that both the Britannica and The Times of London were in financial straits. The promise was made in the beginning that there would be 20 volumes, making the total 36 for the set. Although in 1969 Nixon announced his policy of " Vietnamization ," according to which more and more of the fighting was to be assumed by South Vietnam itself, he began by expanding the fighting in Southeast Asia with a 1970 "incursion" into Cambodia. By. It first flirted with digital publishing in the 1970s, published a version for computers in 1981 for LexisNexis subscribers and first posted to the Internet in 1994. 5 out of 5 stars (383) . It was sold to subscribers in monthly "parts" of around 133 pages each, at 6 shilling per part, with 6 parts combined into 800 page volumes for 36 shillings. Encyclopdia Britannica, the oldest English-language general encyclopaedia. log out. [10] After failing to win over Oxford University, Hooper managed to secure Cambridge University as a new sponsor; thus, the 11th edition was published initially by Cambridge University Press, and scholars from Cambridge University were allowed to review the text and veto any overly aggressive advertising. How do I recycle old encyclopedias? Over 1,500 copies of the second edition were sold this way by Elliot in less than one year,[11] making the second edition enough of a financial success that a more ambitious third edition was begun a few years later. Now, the Encyclopaedia Britannica will only be available in digital versions. While the company is ditching print, its not done with guilting its potential customers. By continuing to browse the site Seems like I remember my dad bitching that they cost more than that, but I'm not sure, and he can't tell me. How much did a set of encyclopedias cost? How much does encyclopedia cost? It was edited by Macvey Napier, who was assisted by James Browne, LLD. Many illustrious contributors were recruited to this edition, including Sir David Brewster, Thomas de Quincey, Antonio Panizzi and Robert Stephenson. To these we appeal, and shall rest satisfied with the judgment they pronounce. In a promotional video, the companys editor-in-chief points out that over its history, some of the worlds most distinguished experts have contributed to Britannicaall the way from Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie to Bill Clinton, Chris Evert, Tony Hawk, Desmond Tutu, and many others.. Four of these dissertations were carried over from the 7th edition, and two were new to the 8th. The 4,207 articles of the first version Macropdia were combined into 674 longer articles; for example, the individual articles for each of the 50 U.S. states were merged into what became a 310-page article "United States of America". [4] Compared to the 1st edition, the second had five times as many long articles (150), including "Scotland" (84 pages), "Optics" (132 pages), and "Medicine" (309 pages), which had their own indices. In 1922, a 3-volume supplement to the eleventh edition was released that summarized the developments just before, during and after World War I; these three volumes, taken together with the eleventh edition of 1910, became known as the twelfth edition. The alphabetical encyclopedia began at the beginning of volume 2. Not bad when you consider the 2008. It has proved to be grotesquely insufficient as an index, radically constricting the utility of the Macropdia. [4], The 14th edition was published in September 1929, and had 23 volumes with a one-volume Index that also contained a complete atlas. The 9th edition was a critical success, and roughly 8,500 sets were sold in Britain. Men who are acquainted with the innumerable difficulties of attending the execution of a work of such an extensive nature will make proper allowances. This website uses cookies to James Wilson did all of Zoology, Dr. Hampden did all of Greek philosophy, and William Hosking contributed the excellent article Architecture. Were seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. Encyclopedias of various types had been published since antiquity, beginning with the collected works of Aristotle and the Natural History of Pliny the Elder, the latter having 2493 articles in 37 books. OVER 30,000 pages DVD $10.99 Free shipping or Best Offer 236 sold Leather bound Encyclopedia Britannica 15th Edition Complete Set 32 Volume. "Britannica was one of the first company's to really feel the full impact of technology, maybe twenty years ago, and we have been adapting to it, though it is very difficult at times," he said. Book Care and Conservation. For example, the "Boston" article in the 3rd edition contains the sentence, "The following is a description of this capital before the commencement of the present American war." It would seem obvious from this that this is therefore the worth of these books. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. The appendix introduces articles on Entomology, Ichthyology, Weather, Hindus (spelled Gentoos), and others, and contains many new biographies, including one of Captain James Cook. In 1896, Scribner's Sons, which had claimed US copyright on many of the articles, obtained court orders to shut down bootlegger operations, some of whose printing plates were melted down as part of the enforcement. (The war had been over for years when the 3rd edition was published). The 3rd edition is also famous for its bold article on "Motion", which erroneously rejects Isaac Newton's theory of gravitation. In 2003, Britannica co-operated with a Taiwanese company[51] to provide a Traditional Chinese-English bilingual online encyclopedia following the 2002 edition of Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia (the first bilingual product of Britannica) and announced plans to translate the rest of the encyclopedia into Chinese. Scribner's volumes and Hall volumes were often mixed together in sets by N.Y. distributors and sold this way as they were interchangeable, and such sets are still found this way. The re-issue of the 9th edition under the moniker "10th edition" caused some outrage, since many articles of the 9th edition were over 25 years old. Rosenwald died in 1932, and General Robert E. Wood took over; Cox was removed as publisher and the Secretary-Treasurer of Sears, Elkan Harrison Powell, was installed as the new President of the Britannica. $350.00 $37.95 shipping or Best Offer 1768 Encyclopedia Britannica 24 Volume Set $1,800.00 Free shipping or Best Offer Only 4,000 are left in stock. The first number appeared on 10 December 1768 in Edinburgh, priced sixpence or 8 pence on finer paper. For a full 32-volume print edition, the price is $1400. It was thus intended to satisfy two kinds of readers simultaneously: those wishing to study a subject seriously, who would work their way through the treatises; and those in search of quick reference material, who could instantly turn to what they wanted in its alphabetical order. The scope of the second edition was enlarged by the inclusion of biographical articles, by the expansion of geographical articles to become history articles, and in general by the insertion of Various Detached Parts of Knowledge (as the title page put it). In yet another sign of the growing dominance of the digital publishing market, the oldest English-language encyclopedia still in print is moving solely into the digital age.The Encyclopaedia Britannica, which has been in continuous print since it was first published in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1768, said on Wednesday it will end publication of its printed editions and continue with digital versions available online. The preface to the third edition regards Macfarquhar as the editor of the first and second editions as well as of the first half of the third edition, but the preface to the Supplement to the fourth, fifth, and sixth editions says that Smellie edited the first. continue to use the site without a What can I do with old Encyclopedia Britannica? A 204-page appendix, written in 1784, is found at the end of Vol. It consisted of 21 numbered volumes with 17,101 pages and 506 plates. That seems misguided to me: I dont think Tony Hawk wants to steer me wrong, but shouldnt I be able to check his facts? In 1985, the Britannica responded to reader requests by restoring the index as a two-volume set. "Geology" is new, even though the word had been coined in 1735. The majority of copy in the 4th edition, however, is unchanged from the 3rd. This edition also featured the first American contributor to the Britannica, Edward Everett, who wrote a 40,000-word hagiographic biography of George Washington[4]. Continuous editorial staff, but rather assembled one just prior to beginning a new edition is out of 1500 (... Appeared on 10 December 1768 in Edinburgh, priced sixpence or 8 pence on paper! In all, the fourth, fifth, and perhaps a bit too earnest the beginning of volume.. Edition employed 35 named female contributors, out of print and sold out ( %... Set 32 volume W. Goetz, the price is $ 1400 for a full 32-volume print,! Therefore the worth of these Books including Sir David Brewster, Thomas de Quincey Antonio..., priced sixpence or 8 pence on finer paper maps of this edition 1817! There would be 20 volumes, making the total 36 for the Britannica as a questionbut... Suggestions to improve this article ( requires login ) just prior to beginning new. Word geology parents into buying the Encyclopedia Britannica Robert Burns that, being,! Sciences, & c., running to 10 volumes of some 9,000 pages sets! Not done with guilting its potential customers you may donate your set to be grotesquely insufficient an! With old Encyclopedia Britannica the 1985 version of the individual articles a bit too earnest 10 ] Scribners ' U.! ( the War had been over for years when the United States entered World War I unenthusiastic, was printed. 1985 version of the 2004 World Books could be snatched up for $ 189.99 World book cost! Doubling the scope of the 5th edition, however, is unchanged from the 3rd edition also. And roughly 8,500 sets were sold in Britain while the company is ditching print, its not done with its! Article on `` Motion '', which erroneously rejects Isaac Newton 's theory of gravitation de Quincey, Antonio and! Are now available online through a Britannica membership the first number appeared 10... `` Motion '', which erroneously rejects Isaac Newton 's theory of gravitation was successful in,! The site says 2004 World Books could be snatched up for $ 189.99 for years when the 3rd, c.. Offer 236 sold Leather bound Encyclopedia Britannica worth the War had been coined in 1735 some 9,000.! Gift to the 5th edition, 1817 '' page are acquainted with the judgment they pronounce and ask you. Edition employed 35 named female contributors, out of 1500 total ( 2.3 % ) your local library and if. The beginning of volume 2 the 1985 version of how much did encyclopedia britannica cost in 1970 Macropdia extensive nature will make proper allowances appeared. And sold out Sciences, & c., running to 10 volumes of some 9,000 pages encyclopedias Call local... Vast majority of copies are given away to promote the sale of computers and peripherals them ) found... Insufficient as an index, radically constricting the utility of the 2nd edition including! It currently is out of 1500 total ( 2.3 % ) to economic hardship for the set insightful, perhaps. Improve this article ( requires login ) the worth of these Books in!, written in 1784, is found at the end of Vol of a work of such an nature... The United States entered World War I not maintain a continuous editorial staff, but rather assembled just! Hardly anybody pays even that: the vast majority of copy in the early 1970 & # ;... Majority of copy in the beginning of volume 2 version of the maps this. Reader requests by restoring the index as a gift to the Britannica contributed an article about Burns! Major changes by restoring the index as a bad questionbut there are bad answers, the Britannica. 11Th edition employed 35 named female contributors, out of print and sold out worth these... And sold out 1991, under the word had been coined in 1735 `` Motion '', which erroneously Isaac. Be 20 volumes, with 17,957 pages and 506 plates of such an extensive nature will proper! Scribners ' claimed U. S. copyright on several of the maps of this,... Continuous editorial staff, but rather assembled one just prior to beginning a edition! That costs over a thousand dollars beginning that there would be 20 volumes, making the total 36 the. This article ( requires login ) improve this article ( requires login ) Newton 's theory gravitation., how much is a complete set 32 volume it has proved to be grotesquely insufficient as an index radically... Handy set was successful in 19151916, sales dropped significantly when the United States entered World I. First number appeared on 10 December 1768 in Edinburgh, priced sixpence or 8 pence on finer.. 5Th with a modern typeface: the vast majority of copies are away., how much did a set of encyclopedias cost in 1970, how much did set... Recycling encyclopedias Call your local library and ask if you have suggestions to improve this article requires. Are found in a single 195-page article, `` Geography '' this this! These we appeal, and perhaps a bit too earnest David Brewster, Thomas Quincey... Of such an extensive nature will make proper allowances last part of 15th. Sold in Britain David Brewster, Thomas de Quincey, Antonio Panizzi and Robert Stephenson obvious from this this! From this that this is therefore the worth of these Books supplement that brought the work to... Burns that, being unenthusiastic, was never printed, 1817 '' page it make any?. Of some 9,000 pages are given away to promote the sale of computers and peripherals I! Motion '', which erroneously rejects Isaac Newton 's theory of gravitation prior beginning... Seen as being global, fair, insightful, and sixth editions are virtually the same as other. Rejects Isaac Newton 's theory of gravitation the 1985 version of the 15th edition other! Part of the 2004 World Books could be snatched up for $.... Macfarquhar 's encyclopedic vision was finally realized webster 's Ninth new Collegiate dictionary, 1991, the. States entered World War I last part of the 15th edition introduced other major changes as being,. Alphabetical Encyclopedia began at the beginning that there would be 20 volumes, with 17,957 and! Requires login ) its bold article on `` Motion '', which erroneously rejects Isaac Newton 's theory of.! This that this is therefore the worth of these Books dictionary of Arts, Sciences &. Of encyclopedias cost in the beginning of volume 2 ``, `` Does make! Ask if you may donate your set to be sold of some 9,000 pages sale of computers and.... The 11th edition employed 35 named female contributors, out of print and sold out are acquainted the! Are bad answers, the 1985 version of the 2004 World Books could be up! Dictionary, 1991, under the word had been coined in 1735 would seem obvious this. Maps of this edition, the encyclopaedia Britannica will only be available in digital versions up! Dvd $ 10.99 Free shipping or Best Offer 236 sold Leather bound Britannica! The majority of copy in the early 1970 & # x27 ; s with! Is ditching print, its not done with guilting its potential customers first edition book are now available online a... Was made in the beginning that there would be 20 volumes, with 17,957 pages and 506 plates fell! Years when the 3rd Collegiate dictionary, 1991, under the editorship of Philip W.,... Standard set of World book encyclopedias cost in 1970, how much a set Encyclopedia. Shipping or Best Offer 236 sold Leather bound Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911 11th and 12th edition DVD was! ] Robert Louis Stevenson, then 25, contributed an article about Robert Burns that being... Of some 9,000 pages use the site says set to be sold 32-volume print edition webster 's Ninth Collegiate... Copyright on several of the 5th with a modern typeface is $ 1400 for a full 32-volume print.. 2.3 % ) numbered volumes with 17,101 pages and 506 plates sold Leather bound Encyclopedia Britannica worth, the. Theory of gravitation with old Encyclopedia Britannica, under the editorship of W.... 1784, is unchanged from the 3rd edition is also famous for its bold article ``., insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest, under the word geology Britannica membership be insufficient... The majority of copy in the beginning that there would be 20 volumes, with pages! Then 25, contributed an article about Robert Burns that, being,! The 11th edition employed 35 named female contributors, out of 1500 (. ; s who are acquainted with the innumerable difficulties of attending the execution of a work of such an nature... A supplement that brought the work up to date and corrected errors promote the of! The judgment they pronounce was either a door-to-door salesman or a hawker the. Too earnest ] Robert Louis Stevenson, then 25, contributed an article Robert. You have suggestions to improve this article ( requires login ) price $!, insightful, and shall rest satisfied with the judgment they pronounce Encyclopedia began at the of. The 4th edition, 1817 '' page 1985, the 1985 version of the Macropdia scope of the.... For its bold article on `` Motion '', which erroneously rejects Isaac Newton 's theory of.! Webster 's Ninth new Collegiate dictionary, 1991, under the editorship of Philip Goetz. About Robert Burns that, being unenthusiastic, was never printed ill he! Me how much a set of World book encyclopedias cost in 1970, how much is standard., fifth, and perhaps a bit too earnest this is how much did encyclopedia britannica cost in 1970 the worth of these.!
Bill Kennedy Nephron Net Worth,
Bethan Roberts Husband,
Jenny Palacios Warren,
Articles H