3.13.2012

books: Encyclopedia Brittanica Cancels Print Edition

Sign o' the times.

That's not surprising to Michael Norris, a senior trade books analyst at Simba Information, who says reference books have taken the worst hit with the rise of digital.

"People still buy, read and love print books. But the relationship they have with a novel is very different than what they have with a piece of information they need," Norris says.

As I noted the other day, the first casualty of the internet/ereader combo is utility.
Plus, aside from some of the really early editions the print version of Brittanica is an eyesore.
I'd like them to keep publishing a limited 'premium' edition, with some actual design & production muscle behind it, maybe outsourced to Taschen, but c'est la vie.


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