Later, I introduced the encyclopedia to my kids. They had never used a print encyclopedia, and they looked at me like I was an alien, almost as if I were speaking a different language (such a trite expression, but man, is it accurate). I had hoped they could use the encyclopedia as an old-fashioned reference, but so far, they have completely and utterly rejected it, not even expressing interest or opening it once. That aspect of my plans for the encyclopedia has been a big failure.
They grew with internet, they can read about whatever they want in a few minutes. You can’t compete with that. When encyclopedias were popular, you had to go to the library to find about a topic you may be interesting in. If your encyclopedia had some sort of information (let’s be honest, most encyclopedias from the 70s or 80s weren’t that good), it was such a relief and you felt empowered. Knowing about something was very valuable, because very few people had that knowledge. A kid from the 2000s will never experience this.
That’d be neat to have… 1200 bucks!? get outta here
Yeah, this article sounds like it’s written by someone trying to justify his purchase
That’s reasonable, imho. It’s such a niche product that it doesn’t have economies of scale to bring the price down.
I was actually expecting a higher price, tbh. 22 university textbooks would set you back about $2200, right? (Or so I hear… I haven’t been in a university bookstore in over a decade.)
I love the idea of owning one, but I’d never buy it. Makes sense it’s mostly schools and public libraries buying them.
Alternative for those who don’t have $1k+ and a whole load of shelf space: Kiwix - You can download an offline copy of Wikipedia.
It’s actually quite useful when/if you go traveling or live near low-signal areas. Can get a copy on your phone for quick reference for pretty much anything.
I used to have a copy when i lived in a place with regular blackouts but i still needed to study lol.
