What is the Encyclopedia Britannica?

When I was a boy, the Encyclopedia Britannica was an icon of the brilliant. It was expensive and only the well-to-do could afford to purchase. It was usually sold on the basis of purchasing a book a month until you had the whole multiple book set.  You need to read the reasons for its failure at the link below. The point is school textbooks as we know them are gone. They are not the sacred icons that many schools believe.

<http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/2012/03/20/2b2k-13-reasons-why-the-britannica-failed-on-paper/>