In mid-20th century America , a set of Britannicas on the shelf was a status symbol : a sign that the family had money , taste , some pretense to intellect , or at least a very strong desire to be seen that way . Encyclopedia Britannica announced that it wo n't print more books . O'Rourke says as much as we gain from the Internet , there are also losses . Encyclopedia Britannica 's accuracy and availability made it a valuable resource , he says . James O'Rourke : two of Colliers are n't connected to the web .
Encyclopedia Britannica announced that it wo n't print more books . O'Rourke says as much as we gain from the Internet , there are also losses . Encyclopedia Britannica 's accuracy and availability made it a valuable resource , he says . James O'Rourke : two of Colliers are n't connected to the web .