Popular and longstanding reference books

Wikipedia is by far the most popular internet resource site. Launched in 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, the prefix wiki is Hawaiian for `quick.` The site gets around 250 million views per day, every page is created by the public, and there are around 10 million edits per month. The site is the most vast and comprehensive encyclopaedia ever created, with every academic subject having thousands of associated pages.
Before the advent of the world wide web there were a number of digital encyclopaedias, dictionaries, and other reference tools. Many were sold on a `CD-rom` a compact disk storage medium which, for the time, could hold an impressive amount of information. One of the most well known of these was Microsoft`s Encarta. Available as a CD rom between 1993 and 2009, the `digital multimedia encyclopaedia` contained more than 62,000 articles, along with thousands informative videos, photos, maps, timelines and interactive content.
Before the ubiquity of the home computer it was usual for every household to possess a number of home reference books, available for any member of the family to consult. The short list below contains just a few of the most popular that have survived, in one form or another, into the present day.

Encyclopedia Britiannica

This longstanding and much loved reference collection, whose name is Latin for British Encyclopaedia, was first printed in Scotland in 1768. The modest three volume set soon grew in size, becoming 10 volumes by its second edition. The last iteration was the 15th edition, which consisted of 27 volumes. To enhance ease of use this set was divided into two parts, the Microp dia, and the Macrop dia, containing 12 and 17 volumes respectively. The Microp dia contains about ten times as many entries, while the Macrop dia has fewer entries but covers them in greater detail. A single volume Prop dia is also included as a topical `Outline of Knowledge` for the set, along with 2 volumes of indexes. In march 2012 it was announced that the 2010 edition would be the final printing, as the company would be moving with the times and focusing on a digital version of the Encyclopedia

World Book Encyclopaedia

Another venerable publication, having been hugely popular in America from its very first printing back in 1917, the title page of the Encyclopaedia states that its aim is to `enhance learning and reading for children around the world by developing trustworthy, engaging content to create products that will engage children of all ages at home, on the go, in the classroom or in libraries worldwide.` The Encyclopaedia was designed to be fully comprehensive, but its main strength lies in the sciences, along with medical and technical subjects. In 1962 a braille edition was published, containing about 40,000 pages in 145 volumes.

The Oxford English Dictionary

Published by Oxford university press, the OED is the primary historical dictionary of the English language. This means that it is more than simply a reference book - rather it charts the etymology of every word in the language, showing how they have changed over time. It is also the bedrock of written and spoken English, defining in an axiomatic way the meaning of our language. Work started on the dictionary back in 1857, but it took nearly three decades of labour for it to see print. A second edition, containing some 20 volumes was published in 1989, and a third edition is in progress, the university announcing that half of it had been completed in 2018.

Roget`s Thesaurus

Perhaps the most commonly voiced malapropism is `theosaurus` - a mispronunciation that makes this world famous lexicon sound like an imaginary dinosaur! The reference book was created by Peter Mark Roget, a British physician, natural theologian and lexicographer in 1805. The first edition contained only 15000 words, but modern versions contain more than double the number of entries, ensuring anyone will be able to find the perfect synonym.

The Times Atlas of the World

Currently in its 14th edition, this well respected atlas first appeared in 1895, being published by the times newspaper in London. Originally containing 117 pages of maps, along with an alphabetical place index of 130,000 names, the atlas was actually an improved reprint of Cassell & Co.`s Universal Atlas, which was published in 1893. The second edition, which was considered a vast improvement over the original, was prepared at the Edinburgh Geographical Institute, and featured a more comprehensive index, and more detailed maps. The current 14th edition includes thousands of name changes, along with new and accurate maps of sub continental ice features in the Antarctic and Arctic Ocean.