History of World Book

The first edition of The World Book Encyclopedia, issued in 1917, set a new direction for encyclopedia publishing. "As a rule," wrote Editor in Chief Michael Vincent O'Shea in the preface to that first edition, “encyclopedias are apt to be quite formal and technical. A faithful effort has been made in The World Book Encyclopedia to avoid this common defect.” Since World Book first appeared, in addition to ensuring its accuracy and up-to-dateness, its editors have worked to make information come alive with clear, interesting writing and informative, inviting illustrations.

The 1917 edition consisted of 8 volumes of 6,300 pages. Its title page carried the name of the Hanson-Roach-Fowler Company as publisher. But within two years, World Book had become the property of W.F. Quarrie & Company, which guided its growth for the next quarter century. Quarrie began the practice of publishing a revised edition every year, a tradition that--except for 1920, 1924, and 1932--has continued to the present day. The first major revision of The World Book Encyclopedia appeared in 1929. The “new” edition consisted of 13 volumes.

The 1930’s saw the formation of an Editorial Advisory Board composed of distinguished educators. The Board launched an analysis of typical school curriculums, which provided the editors with data on the subjects being studied in all grades from kindergarten to high school. Today, World Book editors continue to develop content that meets curriculum needs.

In 1945, The World Book Encyclopedia became the property of Field Enterprises, Inc. Two years later, the second major revision of The World Book Encyclopedia was published. It expanded the set to 19 volumes.

In 1955, World Book launched the Classroom Research Program, in which students in many classrooms fill out cards telling what they looked up in World Book. The cards provide the editors with data on actual student usage of World Book. The third major revision of The World Book Encyclopedia was published in 1960. It increased the set’s size to 20 volumes.

During the 1970’s, two new feature enhanced the set’s ease of use. The addition of the Research Guide/Index for the 1972 edition, which expanded the set to its present 22 volumes, provided readers with an in-depth index and guidance in conducting independent research. Metric equivalents were included for virtually all the measurements in The World Book Encyclopedia for the 1975 edition, giving readers measurements in both the inch-pound system and the metric system. In 1978, World Book was purchased by the firm of Scott Fetzer.

The editorial pace quickened in the 1980’s, culminating with the fourth major revision of The World Book Encyclopedia in 1988. Highlight included a new typeface and page design, and some 10,000 new editorial features.

The World Book Encyclopedia became available in electronic formats in the 1990’s, even while it maintained its position as the world’s largest-selling print encyclopedia.

The explosive proliferation of the personal computer began in the mid-1980’s. World Book responded with the publication in 1990 of a version of the encyclopedia on a CD-ROM, the World Book Information Finder. The CD-ROM version subsequently has been engineered for multiple computer operating systems and enhanced with video and audio clips, animations, simulations, and interactive 360-degree views. However, the added multimedia meets the same criterion applied to the selection of illustrations for the print set: the media must advance the educational effectiveness of the publication.

As use of the internet grew, World Book developed an online edition of the encyclopedia. World Book Online was first offered to schools and libraries on a subscription basis in 1998 and to individual and home subscribers in 1999. The online version was retitled the World Book Student in 2003 to acknowledge the increased breadth of its utility and content. Such features as an interactive atlas, integrated dictionary, and background information about current events make the World Book Student flexible and responsive to the needs of information seekers at home, in classrooms, and in libraries.

World Book has been a vital force in education since it was first published in 1917. The company is dedicated to maintaining World Book’s tradition of editorial excellence and its place as an information cornerstone in homes, schools, and libraries.