The Internet, facilitated by the development of search engines, has grown into a common source of information for many people, and provides easy access to reliable original sources and expert opinions, thanks in part to initiatives such as Google Books, MIT's release of its educational materials and the open PubMed Central library of the National Library of Medicine. Encarta was the top-selling multimedia encyclopaedia, based on total US retail sales from January to February The dominant internet encyclopaedia and main alternative to Britannica is Wikipedia.
Thus, a Britannica article either has known authorship or a set of possible authors the editorial staff. With the exception of the editorial staff, most of the Britannica 's contributors are experts in their field—some are Nobel laureates. In , the journal Nature chose articles from both websites in a wide range of science topics and sent them to what it called 'relevant' field experts for peer review.
The experts then compared the competing articles—one from each site on a given topic—side by side, but were not told which article came from which site. Nature got back 42 usable reviews. In the end, the journal found just eight serious errors, such as general misunderstandings of vital concepts: four from each site.
It also discovered many factual errors, omissions or misleading statements: in Wikipedia and in Britannica , an average of 3. It noted that two of the articles in the study were taken from a Britannica yearbook and not the encyclopaedia, and another two were from Compton's Encyclopedia called the Britannica Student Encyclopedia on the company's website.
The rebuttal went on to mention that some of the articles presented to reviewers were combinations of several articles, and that other articles were merely excerpts but were penalized for factual omissions. The company also noted that several of what Nature called errors were minor spelling variations, and that others were matters of interpretation.
Nature defended its story and declined to retract, stating that, as it was comparing Wikipedia with the web version of Britannica , it used whatever relevant material was available on Britannica ' s website.
My job is to create more awareness of our very different approaches to publishing in the public mind. They're a chisel, we're a drill, and you need to have the correct tool for the job. Since the 3rd edition, the Britannica has enjoyed a popular and critical reputation for general excellence. The Britannica has a reputation for summarising knowledge. More recently, A. Only two people are known to have read two independent editions: the author C. Forester [] and Amos Urban Shirk, an American businessman who read the 11th and 14th editions, devoting roughly three hours per night for four and a half years to read the 11th.
It can be stated without fear of contradiction that the 15th edition of the Britannica accords non-Western cultural, social, and scientific developments more notice than any general English-language encyclopedia currently on the market.
On rare occasions, the Britannica was criticized for its editorial choices. Given its roughly constant size, the encyclopaedia has needed to reduce or eliminate some topics to accommodate others, resulting in controversial decisions.
The initial 15th edition — was faulted for having reduced or eliminated coverage of children's literature, military decorations, and the French poet Joachim du Bellay; editorial mistakes were also alleged, such as inconsistent sorting of Japanese biographies. Some very few Britannica -appointed contributors are mistaken. A notorious instance from the Britannica's early years is the rejection of Newtonian gravity by George Gleig, the chief editor of the 3rd edition — , who wrote that gravity was caused by the classical element of fire.
The Britannica has received criticism, especially as editions become outdated. It is expensive to produce a completely new edition of the Britannica , [a] and its editors delay for as long as fiscally sensible usually about 25 years. When American physicist Harvey Einbinder detailed its failings in his book, The Myth of the Britannica , [] the encyclopaedia was provoked to produce the 15th edition, which required 10 years of work.
In an inaccurate entry about the Irish civil war was discussed in the Irish press following a decision of the Department of Education and Science to pay for online access. Writing about the 3rd edition — , Britannica ' s chief editor George Gleig observed that 'perfection seems to be incompatible with the nature of works constructed on such a plan, and embracing such a variety of subjects.
With regard to errors in general, whether falling under the denomination of mental, typographical or accidental, we are conscious of being able to point out a greater number than any critic whatever. Men who are acquainted with the innumerable difficulties attending the execution of a work of such an extensive nature will make proper allowances.
To these we appeal, and shall rest satisfied with the judgment they pronounce. Since the early s, the company has promoted spin-off reference works.
The Britannica has been issued in 15 editions, with multi-volume supplements to the 3rd and 4th editions see the Table below. The 5th and 6th editions were reprints of the 4th, the 10th edition was only a supplement to the 9th, just as the 12th and 13th editions were supplements to the 11th. The 15th underwent massive re-organization in , but the updated, current version is still known as the 15th. The 14th and 15th editions were edited every year throughout their runs, so that later printings of each were entirely different from early ones.
Throughout history, the Britannica has had two aims: to be an excellent reference book, and to provide educational material. In the first era 1st—6th editions, — , the Britannica was managed and published by its founders, Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell, by Archibald Constable, and by others. It went on sale December The Britannica of this period was primarily a Scottish enterprise, and it is one of the most enduring legacies of the Scottish Enlightenment.
Although some contributors were again recruited through friendships of the chief editors, notably Macvey Napier, others were attracted by the Britannica's reputation. The contributors often came from other countries and included the world's most respected authorities in their fields. A general index of all articles was included for the first time in the 7th edition, a practice maintained until Production of the 9th edition was overseen by Thomas Spencer Baynes, the first English-born editor-in-chief.
Dubbed the 'Scholar's Edition', the 9th edition is the most scholarly of all Britannicas. In the third era 10th—14th editions, — , the Britannica was managed by American businessmen who introduced direct marketing and door-to-door sales. The American owners gradually simplified articles, making them less scholarly for a mass market. The 10th edition was a nine-volume supplement to the 9th, but the 11th edition was a completely new work, and is still praised for excellence; its owner, Horace Hooper, lavished enormous effort on its perfection.
When Hooper fell into financial difficulties, the Britannica was managed by Sears Roebuck for 18 years —, — In , the vice-president of Sears, Elkan Harrison Powell, assumed presidency of the Britannica ; in , he began the policy of continuous revision.
This was a departure from earlier practice, in which the articles were not changed until a new edition was produced, at roughly year intervals, some articles unchanged from earlier editions.
William Benton, then a vice president of the University, provided the working capital for its operation. The stock was divided between Benton and the University, with the University holding an option on the stock.
In , near the end of this era, the Britannica celebrated its bicentennial. Under Mortimer J. This second version of the 15th edition continued to be published and revised until the print version. In the fifth era —present , digital versions have been developed and released on optical media and online.
In , the Britannica was bought by Jacqui Safra at well below its estimated value, owing to the company's financial difficulties. One part retained the company name and developed the print version, and the other, Britannica. Since , the two companies have shared a CEO, Ilan Yeshua, who has continued Powell's strategy of introducing new products with the Britannica name. In March , Britannica's president, Jorge Cauz, announced that it would not produce any new print editions of the encyclopaedia, with the 15th edition being the last.
The company will focus only on the online edition and other educational tools. Britannica ' s final print edition was in , a volume set. It contained 30 volumes and 18, pages, with 8, photographs, maps, flags, and illustrations in smaller 'compact' volumes. It contained over 40, articles written by scholars from across the world, including Nobel Prize winners. The following is Britannica ' s description of the work: [7].
Written by international experts and scholars, the articles in this collection reflect the standards that have been the hallmark of the leading English-language encyclopedia for over years. The Britannica was dedicated to the reigning British monarch from to and then, upon its sale to an American partnership, to the British monarch and the President of the United States.
With preliminary dissertations on the history of the sciences. New revisions of the 14th edition appeared every year between and with the exceptions of , and At that time also an online version was offered for paid subscription. In this was offered free, and no revised print versions appeared. The experiment was ended in and a new printed set was issued in Encyclopedia Britannica Ultimate Edition Free in a single link. Published by Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
The version was the last printed edition. Since then, it has stuck to digital content and distribution. However, in March , the company revealed that it would discontinue printed editions, focusing more on Encyclopedia Britannica Online. It contained over 86, Encyclopedia Britannica articles, over 18, students encyclopedia articles, and over 3, childrens encyclopedia articles. The 15 th edition consists of a 3-part structure that includes a volumeMicropdiaof short articles, a volumeMacropdiaof long articles, and a singlePropdia volume to provide a hierarchicaloutline of knowledge.
TheMicropdiais created for a rapid fact-checking, as well as a guide to theMacropdia. You can also download britannica encyclopedia pdf. There were 15 editions of the Encyclopedia Britannica download software. And the 15 th edition went through enormous re-organization in ; however, its still known as the 15 th , updated, current version.
It got edited every year throughout its run so later printing was completely different from the previous one. With Britannicas two aims of being an exquisite reference book and providing education material, this edition was off to a third goal of systematizing entire human knowledge.
The 15 th edition has the most features of all, including a 2-volume index restoration, a number of merged Micropdiaand Macropdia articles, slightly lengthier overall, publishing of new version every few years, and the latest printed edition. For more details visit Official Website.
There are more than , articles in the Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite It offers sound clips, videos, animations, maps, and web links. Britannica Online contains over , articles that are updated daily. And on October 26, , it announced the encyclopedia as an iPad app. I had a few issues myself whilst trying to read encyclopedia Britannica 15th edition pdf free online, however thanks to research, I got acquainted with the proper sources that aided me on this course.
We can help you too just follow our instructions here. Epub versions of books are the very best when it comes to leisure and light reading. However, getting an encyclopedia Britannica 15th edition pdf epub may not be a simple affair. Have you considered the kindle version which will be way cheaper or purchasing a hard copy? For all your educational books with no stress involved, collegelearners is that Pdf plug you need.
If you need reliable information on how you can access Encyclopedia Britannica 32 Book Set pdf download book, you can utilize the book link below. I hope you find my information helpful. Have a wonderful reading. Comprises one Propaedia outline of knowledge volume, 12 Micropaedia ready reference , 17 Macropaedia knowledge in depth , two index volumes, plus a free copy of Britannica World Data Annual For this printing, pages were revised.
The price quoted is for Classic Brown binding. It was written by about full-time editors and more than 4, contributors. The version of the 15th edition, which spans 32 volumes and 32, pages, was the last printed edition. The Britannica is the English-language encyclopaedia that was in print for the longest time: it lasted years.
It was first published between and in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, in three volumes. This first edition is available in facsimile. The encyclopaedia grew in size: the second edition was 10 volumes, and by its fourth edition — it had expanded to 20 volumes.
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