▁under ▁the ▁editor ial ▁super vision ▁of ▁Scient ific ▁American ▁magazine . ▁The ▁magazine ' s ▁editor , ▁Frederick ▁Con verse ▁Beach , ▁was ▁editor - in - ch ief , ▁and ▁was ▁said ▁to ▁be ▁assist ed ▁by ▁hundreds ▁of ▁em inent ▁sch ol ars ▁and ▁authorities ▁who ▁served ▁as ▁consult ing ▁edit ors ▁or ▁authors . ▁The ▁first ▁publish er ▁was ▁R . S . ▁Pe ale ▁& ▁Co ; ▁between ▁ 1 9 0 3 ▁and ▁ 1 9 0 6 ▁further ▁ed itions ▁were ▁issued ▁by ▁the ▁Amer icana ▁Cor p . ▁and ▁the ▁Scient ific ▁American ▁Comp iling ▁Department , ▁with ▁George ▁Ed win ▁R ines ▁appointed ▁man aging ▁editor ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 3 . ▁The ▁relationship ▁with ▁Scient ific ▁American ▁was ▁terminated ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 1 . ▁From ▁ 1 9 0 7 ▁to ▁ 1 9 1 2 , ▁the ▁work ▁was ▁published ▁as ▁The ▁Amer icana . ▁ ▁A ▁major ▁new ▁edition ▁appeared ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 8 – 2 0 ▁in ▁ 3 0 ▁volumes , ▁with ▁George ▁Ed win ▁R ines ▁as ▁editor - in - ch ief . ▁An ▁Ann ual ▁or ▁Year book ▁was ▁also ▁published ▁each ▁year ▁beginning ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 3 ▁and ▁continu ing ▁until ▁ 2 0 0 0 . ▁ ▁The ▁en cyc lopedia ▁was ▁purchased ▁by ▁Gro lier ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 5 . ▁By ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s , ▁sales ▁of ▁the ▁Amer icana