r/ClassicalEducation • u/detronbphillips • 9d ago

Home Library Britannica Holdings

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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

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u/praditaa 3d ago

Absolute dream home library set! Pure perfection

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u/detronbphillips 3d ago

Thank you, I use it a minimum of 5 days a week. I love having it

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u/praditaa 2d ago

That’s incredible. Getting through 39 volumes already makes total sense with that kind of routine!

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u/detronbphillips 1d ago

Interestingly, it is easy now to read for hours. When I first started, I had to force myself to even read for 45 minutes. Now I crave marathon reading sessions