A New, Old Britannica

Encyclopaedia Britannica will return to print this fall. The venerable publication, once at the center of many library print reference sections, had not appeared in a new paper edition since 1998, its publisher preferring to concentrate on digital versions of the encyclopedia. Most notably, its Internet version at britannica.com grabbed headlines worldwide when the company announced in the fall of 1999 that it would make the encyclopedia available free, with advertising. Still, "despite the benefits of electronic information retrieval, there are still many people who appreciate the ineffable pleasures of the book," said Dale Holberg, vice president and editor of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., when he announced the new edition on June 14. After an initial burst of public and press interest, the free britannica.com appears to have faltered. The company announced on July 18 that beginning in August, britannica.com's customers would be required to pay $5 a month or $50 a year for access to the full text of the online encyclopedia. The first few paragraphs of each article will continue to be available for free.