Back in the '90s when MS Encarta was driving encyclopedias out of business, you could find Encyclopedia Britannica for sale in Goodwill stores for $20 or so. For a long time I had 2 (two) copies of the Britannica on my shelves. My wife made me get rid of them, and I dare say she was right. Now I read Wikipedia almost every day for the fun of it. It's more interesting than print encyclopedias every were. Sure I'm nostalgic over EB, Colliers, Compton's, World Book, and Funk & Wagnall's, but this is the most amazing time ever to be alive!
Remember Encyclopedias?
- Thread starter Rusty Blade
- Start date
Growing up in the late 70s / early 80s we had a complete second-hand set of the World Book Encyclopedia that was probably 20 or 25 years old at that point. It was always fun to find countries that didn't exist any more.
Our set of encyclopedias was Colliers. It too was a valuable reference for school projects.
Yep. We had the '89 edition of World Book.
I remember the World Book encyclopedia promising me we'd all be flying to school with our jet packs soon.
Heck yeah... we had a set that we got a bit at a time via Safeway. We'd go grocery shopping, a new edition would be out, we'd buy it. I read them cover to cover over time... I know... NERD! 
My parents bought mine piece meal from the supermarket too!Heck yeah... we had a set that we got a bit at a time via Safeway. We'd go grocery shopping, a new edition would be out, we'd buy it. I read them cover to cover over time... I know... NERD!
When we moved to the US we were poor (or cheap??). I provide that context to remind us all that I am sure many of you recall the first volume was often sold at a super discount (free ?? a dollar?? ) to draw us all in.
Well guess who grew up reading only A
Well guess who grew up reading only A
Lol, I did that with several different editions over the years.When we moved to the US we were poor (or cheap??). I provide that context to remind us all that I am sure many of you recall the first volume was often sold at a super discount (free ?? a dollar?? ) to draw us all in.
Well guess who grew up reading only A
I still do! A set of the Britannica purchased in 1984. I frequently consult them still.
In my case it was the Golden Book Encyclopedia. And there were other series that my mother bought for us, and which I also read cover to cover. The front half might have a series of short articles on breeds of horses, there'd be a section of dictionary in the middle, and the back third would be kinds of insects, or something.Heck yeah... we had a set that we got a bit at a time via Safeway. We'd go grocery shopping, a new edition would be out, we'd buy it. I read them cover to cover over time... I know... NERD!
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Me too. If I needed any kind of reference material, I was off to the library....I don't think I even knew that a person could actually own encyclopedias.
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We had a set of World Book from sometime around 1978-80 or thereabouts. Britannica was a better resource, but it was a bit much for grade school kids. I used it for plenty of school assignments, but I also would just grab a volume, open to a random page, and start reading.
I miss the latter a great deal. The internet cannot (or, at least, has yet to) deliver that same, random knowledge. Google's "I'm Feeling . . . " function almost gets there, sort of, but it doesn't come close to that sensation of discovering something from two topics that were related only by alphabetical order.
I also remember getting the supplements, but the only particular one I remember was the one that added the 1986 Challenger disaster.
I miss the latter a great deal. The internet cannot (or, at least, has yet to) deliver that same, random knowledge. Google's "I'm Feeling . . . " function almost gets there, sort of, but it doesn't come close to that sensation of discovering something from two topics that were related only by alphabetical order.
I also remember getting the supplements, but the only particular one I remember was the one that added the 1986 Challenger disaster.
Remind me to tell y'all bout my Dad's "Popular Mechanics" encyclopedia from the '50s. Cool story.
A supermarket set of Funk & Wagnalls. I used to read them at random. Great fun!
Owen Bawn
Garden party cupcake scented
Apart from the Brittanica set and the Harvard Classic series that I mentioned above, both of which my Dad bought used from a library cast off sale we didn't have many books in the house growing up. Neither of my parents was much of a reader. The childless couple next door were, however, and they constantly fed me their magazines when they were finished. US News, LIFE, National Geographic, Popular Mechanics, Field & Stream. Their old Readers Digests went straight from their bathroom to ours.
The coolest thing was when I was about 8 they gave me my first encyclopedia set for Christmas. These were an amazing set of kids' books.
The coolest thing was when I was about 8 they gave me my first encyclopedia set for Christmas. These were an amazing set of kids' books.
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Funk & Wagnall's here . . . on rainy summer days, my stay at home Mother would tell me to find something in a "random" volume to learn, and then question me about it at dinner. Little did I know that she would pre-select the volume each time, and then check up on me after dinner, while I was made to do the dishes.
No idea what would have happened if she had caught me trying to pull a fast one . . . I just found the stuff really cool. I, too, occasionally surf the Wiki for amusement.
No idea what would have happened if she had caught me trying to pull a fast one . . . I just found the stuff really cool. I, too, occasionally surf the Wiki for amusement.
I grew up in a small farming community in Iowa. I did not know there was such a thing as a library outside of school.
Still have the set we bought in '68.
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Ah, yes! The "Year Book"! I could not, for the life of me, recall what the annual supplement was. Thanks!
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