Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-06-02

. . B . 3 .
Many questions have been asked The
Herald on the subject Of the Encyclo-
paedia Britannica Jf which the follow
ny are TYPICAL
What sort Of book is the E%ncyclopae-
Tia Britannica
What i the reason for its extraor-
linary sale!
How does il differ from all the other
Encyclopedias. and from all other
forks of reference.
a brief historical sketch will inform
mr. readers upon these and other
points.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica is the
name of n work first published in Edin-
burgh. li6S-lII1) IN three modest
.olumcs and - when an llfh-com-
pletely new-edition has now been Is
ued. During this long period If almost
10 years. there have been in England.
he United States, France, Germany,
Norway. Spain and Russia over twenty
'ther ATTEMPTS - make the same kind
Il book-that is. a book dealing with
I'll human knowledge in the broadest
uilincs.-but of them all. only a few
ttained to a second edition.
Why has the Encyclopaedia Britanni-
a maintained its mncqualled position
Turing this period. becoming with each
[ its successive editions more compre.
ensive and more authoritative. always
Increasing its flames. its sale and its
lsefulness?
There must be some reason for this,
md ~ may In affrIlntnl IN tho faaf
hat the original idea Of the projectors
4 the first edition. "A Society of Cen
lemcn i'm Scotland" was that This en-
yclopacdia was to be n book IN which
he knowledge of the world should be
'rltten by experts out of their own cx.
erience and not by ordinary hack
-ritrrs. In the carrying out of this idea
he Encyclopaedia Britannica has in
ach of il editions been written by au.
n~oritics. by those who were known 10
{ identified with the worlds progress.
hey were. in fact, the creative minds
{ the day. In their hands the contents
{ the book gave not only a survey of
'eneral knowledge. but gave also an
stimate and appraisal of knowledge
hat was to come-a foresight of the
uture as well as an insight into the
asst.
Other encyclopedias were made from
ime to time, a large part of the infor-
nation in which had already appeared
II earlier works The contributors
Ierely recast that knowledg, and put
| into somewhat different form. but
! without giving credit. Works produced
n such a plan. involving a small in
cstment and with expenses cut i'm
very direction, were much more cheap
! made. and while they were sold for
s. IN the aggregate. they were. rela-
ively. actually higher in price than the
encyclopaedia Britannica they neces-
arily lacked the note of the highest
cholarship and the thorongh-going
reatmcnt which the public have al
,ays associated with the Encvclopae-
ia Britannica. and which it il only
light that a subscriber shall expect To
nd in a work purporting to be for au-
horitativc reference and systematic
eading. Ii IL not strange. therefore.
hat these encycloDaedias have not
cen continued. There was. in fact. no
eal Excuse for their continued exist
nee.
Again. the Encyclopaedia not only
as always been the largest. most com
'rehensive. most authoritative of ali
works Of universal reference. but the
ublic have invariably paid more for
: than for any other work.
There must he good reason for this.
%. Other encyclopedias issued within
he last forty years have been sold at
rom 500 TO 1926 a set. The last COM
letely new edition of the Britannica.
ne 9th. published in 1889 in - vol
mes, was sold at that time al $50 to
2O0. Its success was instantaneous.
nd in the United States more copies
T il were sold. ultimatoI-- than even
u the country Of its origin. The cheap,
r encyclopedias contain from 40 10
10 per cent less matter than the En-
,yelopaedia Britannica. vet the sale Of
he Britannica. a much larger hook IN
,ulk of contents. at a higher price has
always exceeded the sale of the small
r works issued nj r lower price. One
would say. offhand. that the sale of the
'heaper encyclopedias would exceed
he sale of the higher-priced work. hut
he contrary has proved to be the fact.
Why is thisf If il were POSSIBLE "a as
'ertain the collective o~inion Of the
majority of the purchasers Of this cele-
,rated work during its successive cdr
ions, the c%oncensus would undoubted-
'iy be that the reason it has lived, the