Final print edition of Encyclopedia Britannica is a sell out

The final edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica to be printed has almost sold out after a rush of readers tried to acquire their own copies of the 32 volume set at a cost of £1,195.  

The books have been the oldest continuously published reference source in the English language, and stockpiled copies of the final edition are already selling on Amazon for up to £2,500. "Particularly the week after the announcement, our sales staff were run off their feet," said spokesman Eoghan Hughes.

"It's sold much quicker than normal – we haven't seen sales like this for a long time," said Hughes. "But people have grown up with it – in the early days it was the mark of an educated household – and they wanted to get their hands on a piece of history, we think. It's looking like we will sell out – I imagine the remaining 800 will go very quickly."

Future editions of the Encyclopedia Britannica will only be available online, "I don't think we would go back to print on it, although we haven't suspended print entirely – just the 32-volume set," said Hughes. "In the distant future we might do a limited edition once a decade, but there are no plans for that at the moment," added Hughes.


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