I can very much relate with the author. My father sold World Book back in the 60s just long enough to get us a free set. We loved it and like the author, I remember pulling out a random volume and...
I can very much relate with the author. My father sold World Book back in the 60s just long enough to get us a free set. We loved it and like the author, I remember pulling out a random volume and reading for hours. We also got the Yearbook every year with updated new items. World Book definitely fanned my curiosity and desire for learning.
Read the article thinking, 'Oh yeah! I could get a set for my grandkids' til he said that the set has been completely ignored by his own kids. Ah well, its great nostalgia at least.
Reading paper books can be passed on, as a separate love than love for reading in general. Don't give up!! Ask your grandkids what they are reading and offer to read to them as often as they want!...
Reading paper books can be passed on, as a separate love than love for reading in general. Don't give up!! Ask your grandkids what they are reading and offer to read to them as often as they want! Start small with individual paper issues of Nat Geo or whatever they're into, such as Minecraft books or game guides or Pathfinders monster compendium or physical copies of their favorite music. :)
Oh we definitely do read to them. My wife is an Early Learning instructor and we have an entire library of kids books at our home - at least 500 books. We have one grandchild who is a total...
Oh we definitely do read to them. My wife is an Early Learning instructor and we have an entire library of kids books at our home - at least 500 books. We have one grandchild who is a total bookworm but all of them enjoy sitting on our laps and having a story read to them. I do strongly believe that teaching your kids to love reading is one the best ways to give them future success in their life and their studies - which is one of my son's is an English/Social Studies teacher too.
Definitely 100% agree with this. Not many people have the money to throw at something like this NOR the shelf space in a living room, but I think most people can appreciate why this is something...
summary of human knowledge in print, vetted by professionals and fixed in a form where it can't be tampered with after the fact—whether by humans, AI, or mere link rot.
Definitely 100% agree with this.
Not many people have the money to throw at something like this NOR the shelf space in a living room, but I think most people can appreciate why this is something great to exist and to have.
Re: shark.
This reminds me of an interaction in the manga Yotsuba To!. Young Yotsuba asks daddy if they could go do the beach. Daddy mutters that there are jellyfish this time of the year. The next day she wakes daddy up excitedly, totally ready for the beach! Daddy is shocked, and says, but I said there were jellyfish, to which she responds, in not so many words, yes that's exactly what you said, you said there were jellyfish, which implied that's why we must go.
I want a set precisely because of the shark on the spines.
In the case of printed encyclopedias, surely being a year or two outdated isn't a problem. Perhaps I can score a set of the 2023 edition a few years from now......
Oof. That sticker shock though. $1,199 for a set...damn. I would love to own a set though. The idea of being able to just pull a volume and sit on the back porch and flip through it for a bit as...
Oof. That sticker shock though. $1,199 for a set...damn. I would love to own a set though.
The idea of being able to just pull a volume and sit on the back porch and flip through it for a bit as the sun sets...fine I'm getting old. lol
I grew up with World Book and their childrens' anthology Childcraft. Last year, in a fit of nostalgia, I picked up the complete Childcraft set (the 1982-1995 edition I know and love) for my own...
Like the article says, there's something really refreshing about being able to just sit with a book, reading through it at your own pace, without a million other stimuli competing for your attention.
That big-ass shark on the new World Books needs to go, though. I've never liked multi-volume spine art like that, it's just tacky.
I think there's definitely a lot of value in traditional encyclopedias. The problem with Wikipedia is that it's not a fixed source that if you saw in a reference you could identify its general...
I think there's definitely a lot of value in traditional encyclopedias. The problem with Wikipedia is that it's not a fixed source that if you saw in a reference you could identify its general quality of research, bias, worldview, editorial issues, even though they surely exist, since it varies from article to article. With a lot of social science and the more rigorous humanities I find myself using Britannica more and more.
As far as having a print encyclopedia, it's probably mostly a novelty but it's also a decent way for someone to sit down and learn a bit of everything. This would be virtually impossible with Wikipedia, but doable if you're dedicated enough with an encyclopedia. They used to make concise one-volume encyclopedias that covered a bit of everything, but unfortunately the last one I think was Britannica's from 2007.
I definitely remember trying to use a set of Encyclopedia Britannica, but the more wordy, more technical articles were much tougher to wade through and the distinct lack of color pictures made it...
I definitely remember trying to use a set of Encyclopedia Britannica, but the more wordy, more technical articles were much tougher to wade through and the distinct lack of color pictures made it unattractive to teenage me.
Owning an encyclopedia in my country was usually a sign of wealth, so to many people Wikipedia was the first encyclopedia they could use at home. A large library remains a sign of economic...
Owning an encyclopedia in my country was usually a sign of wealth, so to many people Wikipedia was the first encyclopedia they could use at home. A large library remains a sign of economic distinction, which is why rich people buy books as decoration, including sets of fake plastic books to fill shelves for Zoom calls.
My aunt had an Encyclopedia for my cousin to use for school and it was awesome. I'd totally have one but I'm not sure there's a decent one in my language anymore, and it would probably still cost more than I am willing to pay.
There are book wholesalers who will sell you books by the foot. You can specify the types of bindings and the general vibe you want to communicate with them.
including sets of fake plastic books to fill shelves for Zoom calls.
There are book wholesalers who will sell you books by the foot. You can specify the types of bindings and the general vibe you want to communicate with them.
Something the doomsday preppers usually forget about. How are you going to teach the kids how amazing the world was before the Glorb came and transformed it into a wasteland....
Something the doomsday preppers usually forget about. How are you going to teach the kids how amazing the world was before the Glorb came and transformed it into a wasteland....
I can very much relate with the author. My father sold World Book back in the 60s just long enough to get us a free set. We loved it and like the author, I remember pulling out a random volume and reading for hours. We also got the Yearbook every year with updated new items. World Book definitely fanned my curiosity and desire for learning.
Read the article thinking, 'Oh yeah! I could get a set for my grandkids' til he said that the set has been completely ignored by his own kids. Ah well, its great nostalgia at least.
Reading paper books can be passed on, as a separate love than love for reading in general. Don't give up!! Ask your grandkids what they are reading and offer to read to them as often as they want! Start small with individual paper issues of Nat Geo or whatever they're into, such as Minecraft books or game guides or Pathfinders monster compendium or physical copies of their favorite music. :)
Oh we definitely do read to them. My wife is an Early Learning instructor and we have an entire library of kids books at our home - at least 500 books. We have one grandchild who is a total bookworm but all of them enjoy sitting on our laps and having a story read to them. I do strongly believe that teaching your kids to love reading is one the best ways to give them future success in their life and their studies - which is one of my son's is an English/Social Studies teacher too.
Definitely 100% agree with this.
Not many people have the money to throw at something like this NOR the shelf space in a living room, but I think most people can appreciate why this is something great to exist and to have.
Re: shark.
This reminds me of an interaction in the manga Yotsuba To!. Young Yotsuba asks daddy if they could go do the beach. Daddy mutters that there are jellyfish this time of the year. The next day she wakes daddy up excitedly, totally ready for the beach! Daddy is shocked, and says, but I said there were jellyfish, to which she responds, in not so many words, yes that's exactly what you said, you said there were jellyfish, which implied that's why we must go.
I want a set precisely because of the shark on the spines.
In the case of printed encyclopedias, surely being a year or two outdated isn't a problem. Perhaps I can score a set of the 2023 edition a few years from now......
Oof. That sticker shock though. $1,199 for a set...damn. I would love to own a set though.
The idea of being able to just pull a volume and sit on the back porch and flip through it for a bit as the sun sets...fine I'm getting old. lol
I've spent that much on dumber things haha
Valid. lol
I grew up with World Book and their childrens' anthology Childcraft. Last year, in a fit of nostalgia, I picked up the complete Childcraft set (the 1982-1995 edition I know and love) for my own kids. Somehow I managed to find a brand-new set still in the shrink wrap! You'd never know the books were printed 30 years ago, they're in mint condition and my kids love them. The content has aged surprisingly well too, apart from some passé illustration styles and out-of-date science/tech information. But the stories, games, crafts, and general knowledge stuff is a huge hit in our house.
Like the article says, there's something really refreshing about being able to just sit with a book, reading through it at your own pace, without a million other stimuli competing for your attention.
That big-ass shark on the new World Books needs to go, though. I've never liked multi-volume spine art like that, it's just tacky.
I think there's definitely a lot of value in traditional encyclopedias. The problem with Wikipedia is that it's not a fixed source that if you saw in a reference you could identify its general quality of research, bias, worldview, editorial issues, even though they surely exist, since it varies from article to article. With a lot of social science and the more rigorous humanities I find myself using Britannica more and more.
As far as having a print encyclopedia, it's probably mostly a novelty but it's also a decent way for someone to sit down and learn a bit of everything. This would be virtually impossible with Wikipedia, but doable if you're dedicated enough with an encyclopedia. They used to make concise one-volume encyclopedias that covered a bit of everything, but unfortunately the last one I think was Britannica's from 2007.
I definitely remember trying to use a set of Encyclopedia Britannica, but the more wordy, more technical articles were much tougher to wade through and the distinct lack of color pictures made it unattractive to teenage me.
Owning an encyclopedia in my country was usually a sign of wealth, so to many people Wikipedia was the first encyclopedia they could use at home. A large library remains a sign of economic distinction, which is why rich people buy books as decoration, including sets of fake plastic books to fill shelves for Zoom calls.
My aunt had an Encyclopedia for my cousin to use for school and it was awesome. I'd totally have one but I'm not sure there's a decent one in my language anymore, and it would probably still cost more than I am willing to pay.
There are book wholesalers who will sell you books by the foot. You can specify the types of bindings and the general vibe you want to communicate with them.
Yes there are. You can also get a thing that pretends to be a bunch of books but is just a block of plastic with the bindings linked together.
Something the doomsday preppers usually forget about. How are you going to teach the kids how amazing the world was before the Glorb came and transformed it into a wasteland....
Unfortunately, usually their answer involves something about the bible as a foundation for education.