The Portland daily press., 1880-04-13
Beware of Fraud in Buying American
Cyclopadias

OyCiOpBQlaS.
From the Lawrence, Mass. Daily Americana
The great success of the American Cyclic
p1dia, upon which the publishers have ex-
pended over five hundred thousand dollars for
the last great revision, before the printing be-
gan, also over one hundred thousand dollars
Tor illustrations, maps and charts of which
the work contains over six thousand-the un-
paralleled success of this great venture-has
been the envy of every publisher in the Eng
lish-speaking world, and has prompted the
various attempts to foist foreign Cyclopadias
upon the American market, upon the pretense
OF being superior to Appletons' American
Cyclopedia. Some Of these disreputable par
ties are advertising to furnish the latest
revised edition of the American Cycopsedia at
great reduction from the publishers prices.
The publishers therefore caution the public to
beware of the fraud which has been and is
being perpetrated, by foisting old editions
and secondhand copies upon inexperienced
purchasers as the latest revised edition. The
edition first published in 1857 was styled "The
New American Cyclopadia," and is now
twenty-three years old. 1t contains no illus
tratlons, and of course no account of the
history, arts, or sciences developed in our own
day and generation. The basis of the present
revised and illustrated edition was first pub
lished from 1873 to 1876, but constant revi-
sion has been and is being carried on. In the
biographical department note is being con.
stantly made of the new achievements, and
finally of the deaths of all celebrities who
have deceased since the original writing of the
illustrated revised edition.
10 have this comprehensive library so es-
sential to the better education OF the Youth OF
the rising generation, costs about One-third the
price annually of a daily newspaper, while it
is an ever-present economy in miscellaneous
book buying, In other words, the work de-
clines in price about $500 per year. and the
older secondhand editions are held by the
trade at about these rates, upon the same
principle as the decline in price of old almanacs
and diaries.
The editions styled "New American, are
change and sold again for $50 and S25 per set
of 16 vols. Sometimes prominent citizens
have been swindled into paying $50 for sets
which could be obtained of the local agent for
S25.
The foreign Cyclopsedias introduced into this
market are unsatisfactory to most american
buyers, with the exception of a few profession
al people and specialists-as unsatisfactory as
an almanac with calculations made for our an
tipodes, and hence of little use to Americans
In America AS examples of this fact, Cham
ber's Encyclopaedia has declined in price from
500 to $l6. and secondhand copies are sold at
$40, for the reason that it is pdsse and foreign
very little money has been expended upon it
for the last half-century to keep it fresh and up
to the times
The Encyclopedia Britannica is being foist-
ed upon the American peple as a popular Cy-
cloppdia for daily and family use; and, as
consequence, when its true character is discov-
cred, it is thrown upon the market at sacri-
fee. In lawrence alone, out of seventeen
people possessing it (who have been willing to
compare the two works upon their merits),
two professional gentlemen have bought the
American, and have certified to its superiority;
while fourteen of the fifteen remaining have
either exchanged the Britannica for the
American, or have offered to assign their SUBJ
scriptions, with gift of four volumes to any
who will assume their obligations to purchase
the future volumes, which will not be COM
pleted for the next four or five years; 80 that
the first volume will be ten years old when the
last one is issued.
Scientists who have use for any of the spec
ial treaties OF the Britannica will be able to
buy them separately, or obtain the completed
work at half-price, as soon as it is completed,
SO many are being offered in exchange for the
American Cyclopadia