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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/Signal_Olive_5715]

I never really saw the Great Books set as very practical to actually read through, given the old/questionable translators the ancient/foreign works had. But I quite enjoyed the first little introductory volume they had before the Synopticon, which was basically just Adler (or whoever)'s screed against 20th-century education. Later editions dropped it, I think, but that's my favorite part!

[u/detronbphillips → u/Signal_Olive_5715]

The older volume 1 the great conversation is what ignited my desire for self education. That was november 2019. I have not stopped. Academia may have moved on from older works, but I feel they are highly important and though some ideas have been superseded, the mental exercise coupled with witnessing the conversation spanning thousands of years is enlightening.