Loss Of A Printed Icon, Methylimidazole-Lite Cola

Abstract

Once upon a time, it was a happy day in the lives of many Americans when an Encyclopaedia Britannica salesman’s shadow graced the front door. If the monthly payments were affordable, a set of the encyclopedias would join the family station wagon and television set as status symbols. But now, after 244 years, the venerable Encyclopaedia Britannica is going out of print, a victim of the digital age. First published in Scotland in 1768, the encyclopedia going forward will be available only online. This occurrence might stir up some feelings of lament among Newscripts readers. This Newscripter, for example, grew up leafing through the 1967 edition. Pulling one of the heavy alphabetical volumes off the shelf, I could look up biographies of writers or war heroes, or check out topics in science. The entry on chemistry spans more than 50 pages—it even mentions C&EN. But now that Wikipedia and other ...