Home Encyclopedias

There wasn’t always an Internet! Growing up I remember diligently fingering through volumes of the Encyclopedia Americana to complete my homework. Sometimes we’d read them just because a curious question came up over dinner. And for people who still love the feel and smell of real books – Encyclopedias are a great addition to the home.

They can be costly to purchase with many sets costing upwards of 500 GBP.

However a consumer going to shop for a set is going to be taken back a bit. Encyclopedias are no longer simply A-Z compendiums of global information. Now they’ve gotten focused. You can get a whole encyclopedia dedicated to technology, or one that addresses everything about your cat, for example! You can also get encyclopedias that aren’t books at all, but rather disks for your computer!

Having a good set of encyclopedias is still important

So question one is for what do you plan to use the set, and do you want real books or E-books? Real books become an heirloom that you can share. They also have an impact on the overall ambiance of a room. However, a full standard encyclopedia is going to take up a hefty chunk of bookshelf space. So if you really don’t have the room but want the information, the E-book set might be your ideal solution. Nearly every company that produces hard cover traditional encyclopedias offers a CD version at a fraction of the cost of books (so this is friendly on your budget too).

If you’re planning on a specialized encyclopedia set, go to the library or check online to see if you can determine which set has exactly what you need. Just like anything else, not all focused efforts are made alike. For example, do you want raw data (words) or is this a subject from which illustrations would be very helpful? Choose your specialized set so that it fills all the specifications you need for it to be used enough to pay for itself.

For a full hard cover traditional encyclopedia you’re looking at a bit of an investment so you want one that won’t become outdated quickly. This is actually one of the issues with printed materials. Unlike CDs or online information, they can’t just be updated and reprinted without substantial cost, which is part of the reason they’re not as popular as they were. However, many publishers offer annual updates to the books that you can buy (or not) to help keep the whole set current.

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