# What can I do with a 50 year old encyclopedia? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 19, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830 "2014-10-19T17:29:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830/41 "2014-10-22T12:59:07Z")
I think my mother sold our 1965 Britannicas (both kids and adult editions) to a collector. Mind you, this was over 20 years ago. I have no idea how much she got for them. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830/42 "2014-10-22T16:46:43Z")
Club someone over the head with it in order to steal their 20 year old encyclopedia? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830/43 "2014-10-22T16:59:22Z")
Give them to your kids/grand kids. That way they won’t spend all their time on the internet and get addicted to it like so many kids are these days. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830/44 "2014-10-22T18:58:24Z")
If you’re looking for someone who will sell them for shelf decoration, you might want to try interior decorators rather than used book sellers. Or you could look for a [book artist](https://www.google.com/search?q=book+art&rlz=1T4GGNI_enUS586US587&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Ev5HVLf5EsaHsQShxoKQDw&ved=0CB8QsAQ&biw=1118&bih=375) who needs material. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830/45 "2014-10-22T22:57:42Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Call around to used bookstores. They probably have all they can use, but one within driving range might put it on a high shelf and sell it cheap to someone who wants it as (_sigh_) decorative shelf-filler. At least it will live on. > > ETA: especially being the “real thing” and not one of the lesser or even crapware versions. I never forgave my parents for buying the World Book instead of the Brittanica. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830/46 "2014-10-23T06:21:13Z")
> [@Jameson](#): > > Why would you want to trash a book? And so what that we have INTERNET? So what that it’s old? It’s a book. BOOK! Also Encyclopedia Britannica - it may be a treasure for someone. Find someone who will love and appreciate it or give it to some used books bookstore. Gosh, why would anyone trash a good book. Yes I love books and I think they will never become obsolete. Do you want to take them off of his hands? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830/47 "2014-10-27T08:35:24Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I never forgave my parents for buying the World Book instead of the Brittanica. When I was in 4th grade, (1966) the classroom had, IIRC, three sets of Encyclopedia-World Book, Britannica, and Colliers(?). Of the three, I found World Book to be the best, at the time. I suspect that I would find the same results now. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830/48 "2014-10-27T14:17:08Z")
Does the OP live in a tall building? Feel enraged about society’s “progress”? You might go up to the roof, start screaming, and hurl them down at the people below. Just a thought … ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830/49 "2014-10-27T15:12:52Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I never forgave my parents for buying the World Book instead of the Brittanica. World Book KILLED Brittanica in elementary school. It was alot easier to read, the articles seemed shorter and it was very easy to plagerize it. I’m sure if you took 10 years worth of 3rd grade reports on The Revolutionary War or something like that 80% of them would read exactly the same and be near copies of the World Book entry. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830/50 "2014-10-27T15:17:37Z")
We have an encyclopedia set that was mine when I was a kid (I’m thinking it’s from the mid-70’s). My son uses it from time to time when he needs a “real source” in his words. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830/51 "2014-10-27T16:09:19Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Does the OP live in a tall building? Feel enraged about society’s “progress”? You might go up to the roof, start screaming, and hurl them down at the people below. > > Just a thought … The roof!? How gauche. You could defenestrate it, after looking up what “defenestrate” means! ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830/52 "2014-10-28T04:30:58Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > I see that complete sets of the '65 series have [sold for $40-$50 on eBay](http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=1965+set+encyclopedia+britannica&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc). Shipping would probably eat that up, though. Buyer pays shipping. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830/53 "2014-10-29T00:23:20Z")
My dad worked for Encyclopedia Britannica, and he had 5 full sets we had to find homes for after he died. One was bought by a rare book dealer, and various family members took the rest. They could dispose of as they saw fit. I got one set. As we speak, 6 volumes are being used as a weight to set some glue on a piece of furniture I’m fixing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-a-50-year-old-encyclopedia/701830.md?page=2)