The Encyclopaedia Britannica, in Twenty-Four Volumes (Fourteenth Edition) [Encyclopedia, 24]

Boards designed in emulation of the decorating leather bindings of previous editions, though these are paper over boards. 11 3/16 x 8 7/8. Gilt top edges. "The Encyclopaedia Britannica (English: British Encyclopaedia) is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., a privately held company. Articles are aimed at educated adults, and written by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert contributors. It is regarded as the most scholarly of encyclopaedias. The Britannica is the oldest English-language encyclopaedia still in print. It was first published between 1768 and 1771 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and grew in popularity and size, its third edition (1797) and supplement (1801) reaching 20 volumes together. Its rising stature helped recruit eminent contributors, and the 9th edition (1875 - 1889) and the 11th edition (1911) are landmark encyclopaedias for scholarship and literary style. Beginning with the 11th edition, the Britannica shortened and simplified articles to broaden its North American market. In 1933, the Britannica became the first encyclopaedia to adopt "continuous revision", in which the encyclopaedia is continually reprinted and every article updated on a schedule."