aelgraham Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Hi folks, I am wondering if any of you have purchased an encyclopedia set for your homeschool, and if so, did you use it and was it worth it. Also, any opinion on buying an older, used set, and whether it felt out-of-date for your studies. Many thanks! Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mryann Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I know that I've posted on at least one thread like this before so you might search for more answers. We bought a 2008 set (new) at a library book sale in 2009 for $50. My kids are constantly reading stuff in the books. Worth every penny for us. If you do Sonlight Core 5, they are especially valuable unless you prefer the online encyclopedia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyniffrec Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I have friends who buy the oldest encyclopedia sets they can find! You can get them cheaply at thrift stores sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancyb Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Half Price Books buys them for decorators and sells them for $20 a set. Many people prefer the older sets because they are more conservative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 We have a set we bought from Scholastic. They aren't the greatest, but they're used ALL THE TIME. On a fun note, my kids will update entries :p That way, they stay currentish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dominion Heather Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 We bought a set of 2006 World Books. The older copies have been fine. If the boys are researching anything that doesn't have up-to-date info, we use the internet. I will say that we probably use them weekly. They've been a good investment for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 We have the set I grew up with. We use them often enough to keep them readily accessible. I haven't had any issue with the age of them as we look up more current topics on the internet if necessary. We have found them to be a treasure-trove of good information. It is much easier/better than the 'net for good maps, for instance. I wouldn't spend more than $50 to get a set nowadays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayden Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 We don't own a set and I went to public school myself, but my parents bought a set (1992) brand new and I LOVED them! I loved picking one off a shelf and reading about random things. Hmmm. Now I think I'll have to buy a set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 We bought a set of World Books for about $20 at a library sale. At the time, it was a few years old, now it's over a decade old. I'd like to upgrade, but they started charging a lot more for them. My dc use it all the time. My 8 yo always has at least one with him, reading about what interests him. We have discussed the limitations (technology, current events, etc.,) but for most things, they are fine. IMHO, World Book is your best bet for elementary through early high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aelgraham Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share Posted March 14, 2011 Sounds like my best bet is a library sale. I think we would use them quite a bit, especially as we enter the logic stage and on. I'm thinking that anything from the late 90's on would be perfectly reasonable. Thanks for all the input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I decided not to. They're expensive, they take up space I want for other books (haha) and I DO love books, but just couldn't justify or become interested enough in a set of encyclopedias... everything is available so easily on the Internet that it just seems easier sometimes, and we can always go to the library if need be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenni Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 We bought ours at a library sale for $5 and love having them!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I love, love, love my encyclopedias. New Book of Knowledge, World Book, Columbia, and my favorite specialty encyclopedia, The Human Rights Encyclopedia. New Book is so easy to read. World Book has great outlines that I use to plan literature, art and music appreciation. The Columbia is a one volume unique book that is between a dictionary and an encyclopedia, that truly is a one of a kind resource, rather than a wannabe big set. I quote the Human Rights Encyclopedia as much as the Bible. I cannot be without it! My wish list includes Britanica, Comptons and more specialty encyclopedias. I READ my encyclopedias, so online just doesn't cut it. I consider myself rich and privileged to own my own sets. Sometimes I just cannot believe I have them, and sometimes I even feel guilty like it's hoarding so much goodness for one person. I cannot comprehend anyone loving to read and loving books but not loving encyclopedias :-0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandgill037 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 These days the internet has the best range of information available. With Wikipedia and the like you can get a huge range of sources too. The good old library will fill any gaps. A set of encyclopedias is only as good as every year book to go with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpnick in nc Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I just (like 30 minutes ago) bought a 1995 World Book set at a library sale for $15! This thread inspired me to do it! I love Wikipedia, but I agree with many here - curling up with hardcopy encyclopedia volumes is great fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenKitty Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Hi folks, I am wondering if any of you have purchased an encyclopedia set for your homeschool, and if so, did you use it and was it worth it. Also, any opinion on buying an older, used set, and whether it felt out-of-date for your studies. Many thanks! Amy We don't have a set of encyclopedias. We do have Kingfishers Animal, Science and History Encyclopedias. Which get used all the time. If I were to find a great price on an entire set I may pick them up. Though we use the internet and library books to find most everything now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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