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I bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print

arstechnica.com

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Re: I bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print

#51

Post by thesuitonym »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #37
JKCalhoun wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except I don't flip to a random page on the internet. Like you, I am remembering the serendipity of the encyclopedia (and libraries for that matter).

Nah, it's sites like HN and Reddit that curate the randomness for us. There is / was a service, the name escapes me for now, that would install itself as a hotbar in your browser, press it and it would send you to a random web page, depending on your configured preferences / interests. I'm sure the name will come to me randomly soon enough.

Likely you're thinking about StumbleUpon, which doesn't exist anymore

Re: I bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print

#53

Post by Demmme »

willcipriano wrote: post #21
Demmme wrote: post #6

[flagged]

They won't pull it. They will change it and you won't know. "Oceania had always been at war with Eurasia."

And then you solved the source of Truth problem because you got an old book?

Could be a wrong.print. could be a fake.

Bible is also not true just because it's some book.

Re: I bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print

#54

Post by thesuitonym »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #26

> Opening up a volume of the World Book took me back in time. > ... > As for its content, the 2023 edition doesn't shy away from the contemporary. Yeah, there's a weird schism there. I am considering now trolling the local thrift stores and antique malls for a complete encyclopedia set — but one perhaps from the 70's or 80's. I'll save a bundle and can go back to a world that frankly seemed a lot more optimistic.

If you do, make sure you read the section on the USSR. See how optimistic it seems then.

Re: I bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print

#55

Post by karmakaze »

I grew up with the World Book set as well. Seemed like there were more books/pages (or maybe thicker pages/smaller print). We also had a set of Funk and Wagnalls as well as a Disney set of the future world. They were a constant passtime, but even as a child certain topics ended far too briefly. Today we have Wikipedia to follow up.

Re: I bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print

#56

Post by coldpie »

dabluecaboose wrote: post #10

>When she saw the large photo of a shark spread across the spines of the 22 volumes, she frowned and said, "I don't want to see a big-ass shark every day when I walk in the room." I've got to be honest, reading this I went through a similar range of emotions as the author: Surprise that a print encyclopedia still exists, curiosity about it, and a nibbling desire to buy one. But I gotta agree with his wife: I don't wa…

I rather like it, actually. It's a cool photo and I find it to be a nice art piece, kind of like an art print on the wall, versus a bunch of brown book spines. But I understand your viewpoint, too. Worth remembering that their biggest customer-base by far is libraries and schools, where something like that might be a better fit than a home bookshelf.

Re: I bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print

#57

Post by G3rn0ti »

In Germany the „Brockhaus Enzyklopädie“ used to have its place in every academic house hold. The 24 volume version filled an entire cupboard on its own, cost thousands but looked great with the volumes’ red shaded back and golden rims. Especially historic and technical articles were quite large and detailed and helped me with many homework assignments in the age before the Internet. They were much better than the typical CD-ROM based encyclopedias.

I am lucky to own the last print edition from back in 2006 (inherited from my father) that even contains an entry explaining what „Wikipedia“ is. My kids never want to use it. It’s depressing and amusing at the same time.

Re: I bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print

#58

Post by Cthulhu_ »

dabluecaboose wrote: post #10

>When she saw the large photo of a shark spread across the spines of the 22 volumes, she frowned and said, "I don't want to see a big-ass shark every day when I walk in the room." I've got to be honest, reading this I went through a similar range of emotions as the author: Surprise that a print encyclopedia still exists, curiosity about it, and a nibbling desire to buy one. But I gotta agree with his wife: I don't wa…

To each their own; you can put dust covers on it for a more austere look as well.

Re: I bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print

#59

Post by dpedu »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #30
bryanlarsen wrote: post #3

In the 80's the encyclopedia filled the same niche that a smartphone does for me now. Whenever I had a small number of minutes to kill I grabbed a random volume and flipped open to a random page.

Except I don't flip to a random page on the internet. Like you, I am remembering the serendipity of the encyclopedia (and libraries for that matter).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random

Re: I bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print

#60

Post by srvmshr »

I used to go to my school library's reference section because I loved to read the Brittanica

Does anyone know what kind of paper was used for its printing? It was good in quality to not have bleed through, but sheer enough to have several hundred pages per volume.

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