ENCYCLOPEDIAS: Remember encyclopedias? Back before the internet when research meant heading to the library or, if you were lucky, your parents might have followed the Loblaws’ Book-a-Week plan for a complete set of Funk & Wagnalls 25-volume set of encyclopedias, each with 375 pages.
There were “30,000 subjects — 9,446 pages — 5,850,000 words — 5,750 illustrations” on a variety of topics, including science, history, nature, geography, inventions, medicine, engineering, industry, sports, music, art and drama.
The way it worked was the first volume was only 25 cents with $2.50 in purchases. Then, each week, another volume of the set will be 99 cents with any purchase. “It is just as simple as that. There are no ‘strings’ or catches to this offer — just an easy-on-the-pocketbook, book-a-week, Loblaws goodwill offer that will soon have the entire wonderful set in your home for a lifetime of satisfaction.”
At the same time, the Nu-Way grocery store on Main Street had a similar weekly book deal, with “beautifully bound famous classics for less than 1/3 the regular price.” The books were Rand McNally Windermere Readers, hardcover, durable and washable.
We remember getting books through grocery store specials, including a set of The Sesame Street Treasury books that were longtime favorites.
Of course, we imagine those encyclopedias are quite outdated now, but at the time, the books offered a window into a world that children only imagined. And it helped when a student “forgot” to do the research at school when there was a library nearby.
Interestingly, the World Book Encyclopedia is the only one still published. How do we know? We Googled it.
