Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Edinburgh, Scotland, 1768. Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell began the first edition of Encyclopædia Britannica during the Scottish Enlightenment. William Smellie compiled most articles for that initial volume. The pair published a second edition in 1784. After Macfarquhar died in 1793, Bell became sole proprietor. He issued third and fourth editions alone. Archibald Constable, an Edinburgh publisher, took over fifth and sixth editions. Constable died in 1827. A & C Black Ltd bought copyrights at auction. They held rights for seventy years. Horace E. Hooper and Walter M. Jackson purchased all copyrights in 1901. Hugh Chisholm edited tenth through twelfth editions. The ninth edition expanded topics to include literary, social science, and scientific contributors. Scholars later called it one of the most impressive collections ever produced.
In 1915, Sears agreed to market a new version of the eleventh edition for middle-class buyers. Three years later, Sears bought Britannica outright. Only three years after operation, Sears reported a loss of $1.8 million. In 1923, they sold the company back to Hooper's widow and her brother William Cox. Cox failed to raise money for the fourteenth edition. Sears financed it and resumed ownership in 1928. In 1932, Sears restructured sales methods. They ended outlet sales and hired door-to-door representatives instead. Staff set up booths at conventions and shopping centers. Britannica began publishing a yearly synopsis called the Britannica Book of the Year in 1938. This shift marked a move toward direct consumer engagement rather than library or institutional distribution models.
William Benton offered operating capital to protect the University of Chicago from losses when Sears gave Britannica to them in 1941. He bought two-thirds of stock then acquired the remaining third. Preparations for the fifteenth edition started in 1952. Britannica acquired Merriam-Webster in 1964. Compton's Encyclopedia joined the collection in the early 1960s. Benton died in 1973 before the fifteenth edition published in 1974. The new structure included ten volumes of Micropædia, nineteen volumes of Macropædia, and one volume guide called Propædia. Robert P. Gwinn succeeded Benton as publisher and chairman in 1974. He divided operations into Britannica USA and Britannica International. Nearly 120,000 encyclopedias sold in the United States in 1990 with sales reaching $650 million. By 1994, sales dropped to $453 million with only 51,000 sets sold domestically. More than 70 percent of sales offices closed after that decline.
Jacob E. Safra led an investment group that purchased Britannica in 1996. He restructured the company by laying off over 120 people including top employees. Safra dissolved the home sales force causing another 140 job losses plus 300 independent contractors. Britannica.com launched in 1999 containing the complete Encyclopædia Britannica. One year later, the site laid off 20 percent of its workforce. In 2009, Britannica Global Edition printed thirty volumes with over 40,000 articles and 8,500 photographs. After 244 years, print editions ended in 2012. The final paper version contained 32 volumes from the 2010 installment. Future editions published exclusively online since then. Britannica Insights released as a Chrome web browser extension in 2018. It supplements Google's featured snippets for users searching information.
In 2019, Britannica partnered with Binumi to release video products giving schools access to millions of royalty-free multimedia clips. Students create digital storytelling projects about content they already teach. Britannica All New Children's Encyclopedia: What We Know and What We Don't arrived in 2020 aimed at younger readers. This marked their first children's encyclopedia since 1984. Critics widely praised bringing back the print format for this audience. ProCon.org acquired by Encyclopædia Britannica in 2020 adds another layer to educational offerings. These initiatives reflect adaptation to modern learning environments while maintaining core reference standards. Schools now receive tools combining traditional encyclopedic knowledge with interactive media capabilities designed for classroom use today.
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Common questions
Who founded Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. and when was the first edition published?
Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell began the first edition of Encyclopædia Britannica in Edinburgh, Scotland, on the 1st of January 1768.
When did Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. stop printing physical encyclopedias after 244 years?
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. ended print editions in 2012 following the release of the final paper version containing 32 volumes from the 2010 installment.
What major ownership change occurred for Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. in 1996 under Jacob E. Safra?
Jacob E. Safra led an investment group that purchased Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. in 1996 and restructured the company by laying off over 120 people including top employees.
How many volumes were included in the 2009 Encyclopædia Britannica Global Edition printed before the end of print runs?
The 2009 Encyclopædia Britannica Global Edition contained thirty volumes with over 40,000 articles and 8,500 photographs.
Which year did Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. publish its first children's encyclopedia since 1984?
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. published the All New Children's Encyclopedia: What We Know and What We Don't in 2020 as their first children's book since 1984.