Old Encyclopedias

~ Laura

My mom asked if I could sell a set of old encyclopedias on the internet. Maybe. I don't know. I have 24 volumes of Encyclopedia Britannicas from 1944. They weigh about 50 pounds, I think. The photographs and illustrations are kind of funny. 

DSC_0005_edited-1

DSC_0018-13_edited-1

DSC_0024-3_edited-1

DSC_0023-9_edited-1

Published by Laura

8 thoughts on “Old Encyclopedias”

  1. I hate to say this, but the most likely buyer of these books is a crafter who would want to dismember them for a project. I’ve seen lots and lots of book-gutting projects in magazines and on the internet–book handbags, book headboards, etc.

    Like

  2. I like the book gutting projects and have grown to accept their destruction of books, now that the same information is often available online.
    I have a set of 1892 encyclopedia britannica. I need to inbox them and hope they aren’t in bad shape, because they are very cool. I do not plan to destroy them. The long entry on phrenology is fascinatingly sure and wrong.

    Like

  3. Ebay has a set up for $164 (with free shipping) that expired and was relisted, so I would say that is your ceiling.
    Given your proximity to NY, I’d start calling antiquarian book sellers/dealers and see what they have to say.
    My impression is that there are a lot of old encyclopedias sets out there.

    Like

  4. If you google “books by the yard,” you’ll see that the price is about $7 a linear foot for books that are selected for decorative purposes.

    Like

  6. If it was the 11th edition (1911) I’d say go for it, generally thought of as the best one. I’m sure its interesting for a while but…

    Like

  8. Found my 1892 (the RS Peale reprint, which means not leather bound nor a first edition) digitized on the internet at the internet archive (http://archive.org/search.php?query=encyclopedia%20britannica%20AND%20collection%3Atoronto%20AND%20Baynes), digitized from UToronto’s copies.
    I found mine in the box, and they are in beautiful shape. Assuming they’re really 121 years old, it’s hard to imagine that all the stuff we store on our computers will be as accessible one-hundred years hence. True, it’s much more widely disseminated and will take up less space in a landfill. But will we be able to access it? I listened to a radio report recently, by archivists (at Microsoft and the UW) who both said that they think there’s nothing else to do but print out the things you think are important. Holding those encyclopedias in my hands makes me wonder if I agree.

    Like

Comments are closed.