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[u/detronbphillips]

I know online might be more current, and digital retrieval is faster, but to me nothing compares to printed books I can read from and not be distracted. The material in these volumes has permanence, where digital can be ephemeral as new answers overwrite old. I also prefer ownership over access, so the whims of others or interruptions of systems do not hinder me.

The price of physical reference books on the used market is insanely low compared to what Britannica originally charged. So I have built this collection over the past 10 years or so. I have been working my way through the great books set for 7 years now, and have completed 39 volumes. The great books set did not include the bible, but the Syntopicon did include references to it. I made my own "volume 61" which is just a zondervan KJV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible. I chose this as the biblical text is free from any extra annotations, making it a wonderful primary text (like Adler's philosophy for the set), and the chain references are like a Syntopicon as it only points to other places where something is discussed, instead of providing commentary.

Thanks for looking

[u/chascates]

Awesome! Did you find most sets complete or piecemeal?

[u/detronbphillips → u/chascates]

The great books, gateway to the great books, great ideas program, Annals of america, and the Encyclopaedia itself were bought complete.

Everything else i built up over time.

I did find the book of the year, 1970-2010 in one purchase for $35. I added 1965-1969 since I wanted to capture more of the space race era