The iconic Encyclopaedia Britannica will commemorate its 250 years scholarly existence on December 10. During this quarter of a millennium of its existence, it has revolutions, world wars, scientific advancements and technological—all changed the world.
The encyclopaedia remained virtually the same, taking all the developments in its stride.
The anniversary also coincides with the 25th year since the launch of its online edition, Britannica Online, which was the first encyclopaedia on the Internet and one of the first major publications on the World Wide Web.
Britannica, as it is popularly called, was started in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1768, as a joint venture. The story begins when Andrew Bell, an engraver, and Colin Macfarquhar, a printer, appointed scholar William Smellie as Britannica’s first editor and asked him produce a practical reference work founded on the principle of “Utility,” with a goal of making knowledge available to the masses in a world where Latin was the language of intellectuals.
On 10 December 1768, a small section of the first volume of the encyclopaedia was published. What would eventually be a three-volume set was released piecemeal over three years, concluding in 1771. The founders supported the project through the 18th-century equivalent of a crowd funding campaign.
From there Britannica expanded to a 10-volume second edition beginning in 1777, and over the course of the 19th century and several new editions it would grow both in size and reputation to become one of the most trusted sources of information across the world.
Long known for multivolume print encyclopaedias, Britannica has, for the past four decades, been a leader in digital media, publishing the first digital encyclopaedia in 1981, the first multimedia encyclopaedia in 1989 (four years before Microsoft Encarta), and the first encyclopaedia on the Internet. The company’s publications have been primarily digital since the 1990s. Its iconic print set ceased publication in 2012.
Dan Brown’s words in his novel “Origin” capture Britannica’s ability to learn, adapt and evolve:
“The fax machine has gone the way of the dodo bird,” Edmond explained. “And the iPhone will survive only if it keeps outperforming its competition. Typewriters and steam engines died in changing environments, but the Encyclopaedia Britannica evolved, its cumbersome thirty-two-volume set sprouting digital feet and, like the lungfish, expanding into uncharted territory, where it now thrives.”
“Today, Britannica is focused on inspiring curiosity and the joy of learning both inside and outside the classroom, helping people cut through the clutter and find better information in the digital universe and transforming learning within schools,” said Karthik Krishnan, global CEO of the Encyclopaedia Britannica Group.
The Britannica Anniversary Edition will be published to commemorate the anniversary, which will offer insights from its past and present and perspectives on the future from leading scholars, writers and thinkers from the 18th century to today. The volume is a testament to human progress—how far we have come and how far we go from here.
