I have a potentially strange question... Does anyone have a recommendation if I would want to buy a printed encyclopedia that dates from before the advent of LLMs that is both aesthetically pleasing on the shelf but also still recent enough that it doesn't contain too much outdated knowledge?
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To my knowledge, all large printed encyclopedias were shut down some years ago, so any would be quite outdated.
@gargron I’ve been buying up knowledge books from the 70’s-90’s from charity shops. The big fat DIY compendiums are my favourites, as are the handcrafts books. (knife making for beginners, 1977).
@Gargron My father bought me a Britannica in the '70's which I loved to peruse. It was a huge help for school.
@Gargron Bei mir steht eine in schwarzem Leder gebundene mit Goldschnitt versehene Brockhaus Enzyklopädie im Regal.
@Gargron Oxford has the Very Short Introduction series. it’s not an encyclopedia perse, but it’s an incredibly well curated introduction to topics in almost everything. i think Gallimard has a similar one in French
i loooove the aesthetics of the DK Eyewitness books and they are also well edited and curated.
if i were in Europe, i’d definitely go for the Larousse encyclopedias ―especially their gastronomique―, Oxford or Britannica
i soooo want the whole RAE spanish lang collection OMG
@Gargron I grew up on the World Book Encyclopedia. I read it. The whole thing, I mean, I read it.
And it was pretty good.
I read bits of Britannica, and some of Colliers. But I thought the WBE was actually quite good.
@Gargron It’s a specialized encyclopedia, but I still have the Gzimek on my book shelves. Might be a bit outdated, but in a whole something great to have
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grzimek%27s_Animal_Life_Encyclopedia
@Gargron Wikipedia can be downloaded for offline use. With or without photos and illustrations. I put my old phone to good use.
I bought a 2025 World Book encyclopedia, all 22 volumes. The spines when shelved in order have graphics that spell out "World Book" with an outer space image behind them. Quite lovely and unhackable.
@Gargron Tongue in cheek response: Révai Új Lexikona :D
@Gargron I loved Encyclopedia Brittanica in its a prime (edition up thru say the 1970s?). cant speak to its current condition, if any
@Gargron
History has stopped
@Gargron if you are currently near a well-sorted library and can spare the time check out their holdings. The most recent encyclopaedias are mostly placed in the reading room. They are not on loan, so you can be sure to see them. It's like visiting a specialised shop, they just don't sell anything. It's like buying a car, first hand impressions count.
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@jarm Do I look like an LLM company?
@gargron @keefeglise has this 1960's Britannica set?
https://mastodonapp.uk/@keefeglise/117528846689776302