Encyclopedias

When I was growing up many families had an Encyclopedia in their homes. It was considered a tool to help children with their schoolwork, never mind settle questions that might arise at the dinner table.

Some families made financial sacrifices to make sure there was a set in the house buying or bought the books one by one. Education of children was of major importance.

Those that didn't have a set, had to go to the local library. If doing homework, it meant waiting until the next day or not getting the information at all.

The publishers also put out a yearbook and for an additional price. It made sure the books were never out of date.

I used to like to thumb through the books. I loved the yearbooks too.

The 15th edition spanning 32 volumes with 32,640 pages, was the last printed edition in 2010. And there are questions that sometime the entries aren't as accurate as the old books.

Still, I love reading an article, coming across a name that I might or might not recognize and within minutes have the information I need. A bit like youtube, however, is that often the entry has another name or fact I want to check out and it may take a bit of time to get back to the original article that aroused my curiosity.

I don't miss the bulky books taking up space on my bookshelves.

But the EB is no slouch in modern times. Check out their website www.britannica.com/