# How to sell a 1911 Britannica? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 16, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533 "2011-02-16T02:45:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/21 "2020-02-28T21:12:35Z")
Are there any illustrations? Old atlases are often worth more as framed color plates than complete books. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/22 "2020-02-28T21:21:57Z")
“… the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, where I get ALL my information…” Whose catchphrase is that? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/23 "2020-02-28T21:25:16Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > Old encyclopedia sets are not outdated. A 1911 Britannica set would not be outdated in regards to philosophy. Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus would be :dubious: and nauseous if they read that… As well as Bertrand Russell, they had their most important works published after 1911. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/24 "2020-02-28T21:45:11Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > “… the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, where I get ALL my information…” > > Whose catchphrase is that? Maybe you are not referring to these guys, but I heard it first as a serious item coming from these yahoos: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Py2XVILHUjQ/maxresdefault.jpg "32000 Scientists") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py2XVILHUjQ) (Quote starts at 2:54) > [@](#): > > Dr Seitz authored a letter to the Wall Street Journal, in which he stated that the process behind the international consensus on Climate Change, was fraudulent, and dishonest - although he had not been involved in that process, and had no background in climate science. > > He complained about a corruption of the peer review process, a charge that is highly ironic in light of subsequent developments. > Mentally deficient or not, the letter made a bit of a splash in the media, it was soundly debunked by working climate scientists in the field. > > But it brought Dr Seitz to the attention of yet another group that was about to make a statement on global climate. > > The Oregon Institute for Science and Medicine, located in Cave Junction Oregon, is a small non profit organization founded by Dr Arthur Robinson, a chemist. The group markets a unique set of products such as books on Nuclear War Survival skills, along with plans for home made radiation detectors. > > The site informs us that nuclear war would be survivable, not nearly so much to be feared as crazy scientists have told us. And who knows, with the right products from Dr. Robinson, it might be fun. > > In addition, Dr Robinson is the author of a home schooling course, designed to protect children from the Public School’s socialist values. \*\*The program’s materials include, among other things, the Encyclopedia Britannica from 1911. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/25 "2020-02-28T21:52:21Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > What you do is look at Sold listings on eBay: > [Encyclopedia Britannica 11th for sale | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Encyclopedia+Britannica+11th&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1) “Sold” listings on eBay don’t go back 9 years. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/26 "2020-02-28T22:47:58Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > “… the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, where I get ALL my information…” > > Whose catchphrase is that? wild guess- Dirk Gently? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/27 "2020-02-29T02:32:14Z")
> [@Dan\_Norder](#): > > Old books aren’t valuable just because they are old. They have to be rare and sought after for some reason. Old encyclopedia sets are outdated and, unless they are extremely old or focus on a very specific topic, aren’t all that interesting. The big name ones were mass produced and are still quite common because people tend to hold onto them. > > Just checked with my fiancée, who prices books that are brought in to the biggest local used bookstore, and she says they won’t even take the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica sets at any price. They are still very common and would take up too much shelf space for how little they would be able to resell them for. Agree. I bought a set in a used book store for a dollar when it was 75 years old. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/28 "2020-02-29T04:41:23Z")
Um, folks, the OP asked this question nine years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/29 "2020-02-29T04:47:57Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Or, in 1911, hadn’t yet been discovered. Damnit! I had 9 years to jump in with that comment, and _still_ got ninjad! ---
**Author:** ![albino\_manatee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/albino_manatee/32/2_2.png) [@albino\_manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/albino_manatee)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/30 "2020-03-01T13:43:10Z")
this is my opinion … so, take it with a grain of salt. i suggest donating it to a museum … if not that, donate it to the library in a hospital … if not that, donate it to a convalescent home … if not that, someone else who can benefit from the knowledge and resources stored within any volume of worth. if you sell it on e-bay or whatever … schmucks will buy it … and the compendium will be reduced to tatters in less than one generation. sure … some of the info will be outdated and no longer relevant … but, some may prove both timeless 'n practical 'n enduring. yes … we have the internet now … but, tomorrow when the apocalypse reduces our nations and athenaeums to dust … all that remains will be books. books will be our last heritage … a dying legacy … the event horizon. well … that’s my take. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/31 "2020-03-01T22:53:08Z")
> [@albino\_manatee](#): > > this is my opinion … so, take it with a grain of salt. > > i suggest donating it to a museum … if not that, donate it to the library in a hospital … if not that, donate it to a convalescent home … if not that, someone else who can benefit from the knowledge and resources stored within any volume of worth. if you sell it on e-bay or whatever … schmucks will buy it … and the compendium will be reduced to tatters in less than one generation. > > sure … some of the info will be outdated and no longer relevant … but, some may prove both timeless 'n practical 'n enduring. yes … we have the internet now … but, tomorrow when the apocalypse reduces our nations and athenaeums to dust … all that remains will be books. books will be our last heritage … a dying legacy … the event horizon. > > well … that’s my take. Yes, but do you remember in the Time Machine movie when Rod Taylor was brought to the books the Eloi still had? The books were in such dilapidated condition that he was able to turn them into dust by just brushing them with the back of his hand. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/32 "2020-03-02T00:36:31Z")
> [@albino\_manatee](#): > > this is my opinion … so, take it with a grain of salt. > > i suggest donating it to a museum … if not that, donate it to the library in a hospital … if not that, donate it to a convalescent home … if not that, someone else who can benefit from the knowledge and resources stored within any volume of worth. if you sell it on e-bay or whatever … schmucks will buy it … and the compendium will be reduced to tatters in less than one generation. > > sure … some of the info will be outdated and no longer relevant … but, some may prove both timeless 'n practical 'n enduring. yes … we have the internet now … but, tomorrow when the apocalypse reduces our nations and athenaeums to dust … all that remains will be books. books will be our last heritage … a dying legacy … the event horizon. > > well … that’s my take. Look, I love books. I do all my reading from print books (except on trips). I go to the library weekly, scour used book sales, and buy off the internet. My house has books galore; I stopped counting when I passed 10,000. And I’m a professional writer who has put out several books of my own. But this is silly. No museum, library, hospital, or convalescent home wants or needs a 1911 Britannica. If the apocalypse arrives, every last bit of information in it will be available in thousands of more recent, more accurate, and less racist volumes. The world is awash in old books, billions of them, more than anybody can care for. If you care about words then see to it that every book is scanned and that the digital form is available in various formats spread widely, rather than in paper form. And why in the world would you call eBay buyers schmucks? Where is this coming from? I’ve bought hundreds of books off of eBay and they are just as valuable as those bought from a bookstore, new or used. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/33 "2020-03-02T01:28:33Z")
\*\*Exapno \*\*beat me to it. Pretty much what I was going to say. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/34 "2020-03-02T03:58:03Z")
In conclusion, you may even have a difficult time just getting someone to take it off your hands. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/35 "2020-03-02T05:25:30Z")
Cut a big 1911 ACP shaped hole in one of the volumes and include one. Should sell in a heartbeat. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533/36 "2020-03-02T05:36:39Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > In conclusion, you may even have a difficult time just getting someone to take it off your hands. After nine years, the books may have been disposed of somehow. What can be done with such a set? They’d be fine decorative items in a display where shelfspace, not contents, matters. They could be hollowed out to hide stuff. Local theatre groups and school drama departments likely have impressive-looking books for props, but ask. Country folk used to leave Sears catalogs in the bathroom - those thin pages worked as toilet tissue. A 1911 Britannica could be equally useful besides serving as an ideological statement. We laboriously schlepped a thrift-shop church organ up to our prior house’s second story but it was too heavy and worthless to haul out when we moved so we called it “installed” and let the buyer deal with it. There’s an answer for the OP (if he’s still alive): move and leave the Britannicas behind. Hidden, if necessary. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-sell-a-1911-britannica/571533.md?page=1)