Medieval Mom Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Imagine you had unlimited bookshelf space.:lol: Would you accept a gift of the complete set of the Encyclopedia Brittanica from 1974? (In excellent condition, of course...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 No, because a set that old would inevitably have some major errors in it and while I love to see kids perusing encyclopedias, I want them reading the most accurate information available. 5, even 10 years old, sure....35years old, nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shalom22 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 If I had plenty of shelf space and was not going to be moving any time soon, I would. That is as long as you are not needing reference material for anything that happened in the last 35 years.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontier Mom Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Yep, I did that and let my dc's cut out the pictures to use on their timelines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterbabs Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I would because while a great deal of the information may be out of date, the books themselves are valuable for learning how to use printed encyclopedias. This is important since so many resources are on computer these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyfulMama Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I just told my DH not to ask his parents for their set from the 90s. Cutting them up sounds like a great idea - but I think my DH and his parents would :glare:. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I would not. I'm 41 and the set I learned from as a child was dated 1974. Unless you wanted to use them for their vintage value ;) I would pass and look for a more updated set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I think it would be great for showing how times have changed. I was working at a public library in the 90s when they went through their science books to remove those that were terribly out of date. My favorite was on why humans would never make it to the moon:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I did. Actually, it was the World Book set from 72 (I think) from my childhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I think it would be great for showing how times have changed. I was working at a public library in the 90s when they went through their science books to remove those that were terribly out of date. My favorite was on why humans would never make it to the moon:001_smile: :iagree: I also really like the idea of cutting the pictures out for timeline use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 No way. I'm not a collector ~ not even of books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Mom Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 Yep, I did that and let my dc's cut out the pictures to use on their timelines. Interesting idea!:) I guess there are a lot of papercrafts (including timelines) which could use graphics.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Imagine you had unlimited bookshelf space.:lol: Would you accept a gift of the complete set of the Encyclopedia Brittanica from 1974? (In excellent condition, of course...) No way. Actually an old World Book Set I would consider. But probably not a 35 y/o set. And Britannica just does not float my encyclopedia-reading boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I would take them. Just tell the dc that they are 35 yrs old and some material may be wrong. They will learn that not all printed material is the truth and to seek confirmation on what they read. They can also get a picture of a past culture. I grew up with a set from the 50's and learned a lot from it. Especially how to get sidetracked while looking things up:lol:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara R Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I would and I did. We have a 1974 World Book set in our basement. I would especially recommend it since your children are young. Kids that age are interested (generally) are interested in the more timeless information in the encyclopedia. Turtles haven't changed much in 35 years. Countries have changed; some science has changed (Pluto isn't a planet anymore). It's not as though everything in the encyclopedia is obsolete now. Now my kids are getting old enough that I really need to look at updating my set to something post-USSR... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I would and I did. We have a 1974 World Book set in our basement. I would especially recommend it since your children are young. Kids that age are interested (generally) are interested in the more timeless information in the encyclopedia. Turtles haven't changed much in 35 years. Countries have changed; some science has changed (Pluto isn't a planet anymore). It's not as though everything in the encyclopedia is obsolete now. Now my kids are getting old enough that I really need to look at updating my set to something post-USSR... Oh, right, World Book, but have you ever read Britannica? It's not the same. World Book is readable and browsible. Britannica, not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Mom Posted March 29, 2009 Author Share Posted March 29, 2009 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3browneyedboys4me Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*anj* Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 I actually have them. When my parents moved I took the set of Brittanicas from my childhood. We don't use them for up to date info, but they are still interesting as a point of reference. I keep the children's set upstairs on a shelf, but I also have the "adult" ones and they are stored in boxes in my basement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 Nope. Too much accurate, free information available on that there internet to worry about a dinosaur encyclopedia set. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I voted yes, but only because of the 'unlimited bookshelf space' clause. If I had unlimited space, then I would take them and, like others mentioned, cut out the pictures to use in various projects. By no means would I use them AS an encylopedia. Way too outdated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivetails Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Yep, I'd take 'em - but I *love* old stuff like that. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I've been wanting a set of encyclopedias for a while now. I'm not ready to let ds8 look stuff up on the computer alone, & getting to the library w/ 4 dc & an unreliable vehicle situation is spotty at best. When I was a kid, I wanted a set of encyclopedias so bad, I once sent in the postcard requesting more information. They sent a door-to-door salesman out to our house, & I was horrified. I mean, I was certain that he'd come directly from the headquarters in another state, & there was no. way. my parents could afford encyclopedias. We had an A book (I don't remember what brand) & 2 Cs (for some reason). I was the *only* kid who couldn't do research projects at home. (Rich district; poor house, kwim?) Some stuff doesn't change much. Leonardo da Vinci. Eagles. Anyway, after months of perusing Craig's List, someone recently donated a set of Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedias to the thrift store here on campus. They're from the 70s. I cleared off shelf space, did a happy dance, & spent the next hour teaching ds8 how to use them. We looked up seagulls, read about sea cows, & talked about alphabetizing. I'm thrilled! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I have a set about that old that I got from the op-shop, and a more modern set 1985. we use both sets, sometimes the older set has more information then the more modern set. I also have the children's Britannica, Britannica great books set, the Collin's set of encyclopedias, and the Rigby joy of knowledge set and the ........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyJo Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 MOST DEFINATELY. I know some people say they are soooo outdated, etc. but I believe that it makes for great comparisons. We do not have encyclopedias yet and, honestly, I do not have the money to lay out for them right now. We would take any set we could get because although they may be outdated, some facts never change. Also, we could compare what the book says to online sites, etc. like Wikipedia and compare how things have changed through the years, discuss what would have made them change their ideas, etc. I would have a MILLION things to do with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Mom Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 Thanks, everyone, for your responses. I'm still undecided what I shall do, but you've all given me more food for thought. I appreciate your opinions and thoughts!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I would only take them if you are prepared to teach evaluation skills before reading them, and have a second, updated source of information readily available, if you are planning on looking things up, as opposed to, say, using them for pictures of authors or whatever. I have a few old books for my son that I got in a library book sale about things like space, that are 20+ years old, and they are confusing and inaccurate in many cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krista in LA Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Yep. I don't have unlimited bookshelf space, but I accepted the 1968 Worldbook set with yearbooks up to 1980. I think some of the older sets are nicer in that they aren't always worried about what's PC. We never use them as a sole source of information though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I think some of the older sets are nicer in that they aren't always worried about what's PC. Guess this depends on your perspective. I've had recommended to me a turn-of-the-century science book that, when I looked at the excerpt on Amazon, contained outrageous "information" about the "nature" of people of different "races" that would have been nothing but shockingly offensive to my (multi-racial) children, their parents, and their entire family. I am not sure that would be the case in something published in 1974, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.