Old People Question

[Genie+]

One time my room mate caught me in the act. I was sprawled out on the living room floor with a bunch of encyclopedias open and strewn around. You know how they’d link to more info under a different letter? To read one topic you’d need 6 of them open. Anyway that’s how I got my nickname The Professor

 

[fly girl]

Man, you guys all had encyclopedias! That was for rich people. I was told that is what the library was for.

(And I say this growing up middle class. We were not poor by any means, but my parents were not paying for encyclopedias. Too expensive.)

 

[PollyannaMom]

Man, you guys all had encyclopedias! That was for rich people. I was told that is what the library was for.

(And I say this growing up middle class. We were not poor by any means, but my parents were not paying for encyclopedias. Too expensive.)

Same here! - I was jealous of my friends who had them at home.

But I guess I'm glad I learned to love the library

 

[sam_gordon]

Man, you guys all had encyclopedias! That was for rich people. I was told that is what the library was for.

(And I say this growing up middle class. We were not poor by any means, but my parents were not paying for encyclopedias. Too expensive.)

I think our closest library was a 20 minute drive and had to go downtown.

 

[Genie+]

Man, you guys all had encyclopedias! That was for rich people. I was told that is what the library was for.

(And I say this growing up middle class. We were not poor by any means, but my parents were not paying for encyclopedias. Too expensive.)

Same here! - I was jealous of my friends who had them at home.

But I guess I'm glad I learned to love the library

Yep me too! We had like 3 random letter encyclopedias at home growing up The encyclopedias my roommate and I had were hand me downs from a family friend. It was the whole set and fairly recent. Jackpot! That was back around 1990.

 

[BrianL]

We did not have a set of proper encyclopedias at home (though I was very familliar with them from the library), but we did have these small science "encyclopedias" that we would buy. They weren't that thick, but covered basic science topics for kids and came out in volumes. We would pick one up every time there was a new one, so we had a nice little shelf of them. I can really only remember the grey covers. They honestly weren't really encyclopedias in any way other than that they used that word in the titles - at least I think so.

Since this thread had me thinking about it, they were these, the Funk & Wagnall's New Encyclopedia of Science. We bought them at the grocery store actually. Anyway, they had stuff about computers and space travel, and I, like many 80's kids, was super into that stuff!

 

[fly girl]

I think our closest library was a 20 minute drive and had to go downtown.

Ours was that too! Was told to go to school library before/after classes or during lunch. The occasional trip downtown was provided with big projects. My parents did have some sympathy.

 

[sam_gordon]

Ours was that too! Was told to go to school library before/after classes or during lunch. The occasional trip downtown was provided with big projects. My parents did have some sympathy.

I don't remember when/how/why my parents got them, I just remember them. lol

 

[ford family]

Since this thread had me thinking about it, they were these, the Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia of Science. We bought them at the grocery store actually. Anyway, they had stuff about computers and space travel, and I, like many 80's kids, was super into that stuff!

View attachment 889940

I can remember watching Rowan and Martin's Laugh In here in the UK back in the day and not understanding the instruction to "look it up in your Funk and Wagnall".
All is now clear, thank you!!

ford family

 

[Babs Johnson]

Those science books remind me that my father subscribed to the Time-Life book club for scientific themed books. Every few months a new one would arrive, for topics like oceanography, desert life, outer space, weather phenomenon, reptiles, etc. etc. I think he eventually had about three dozen of those books. They were nicely illustrated with lots of color photos.

 

[BrianL]

Those science books remind me that my father subscribed to the Time-Life book club for scientific themed books. Every few months a new one would arrive, for topics like oceanography, desert life, outer space, weather phenomenon, reptiles, etc. etc. I think he eventually had about three dozen of those books. They were nicely illustrated with lots of color photos.

Did those have black covers with like a cicular image? That strikes me as something I remember too. I will tell you, we weren't that well off or anything, but books were always an easy sell to my authority figures. Reading just about anything was always encouraged, and I am thankful for that!

 

[Dan Murphy]

We did not have a set at home when growing up. We had the local library, could ride my bike to it. Or one of the regional libraries in the city (Chicago) for tougher, more involved assignments. And then the downtown library, take the bus and subway, or the train. Lots of writing and taking notes.

Who remembers Microsoft's Encarta in the 1990's and early 2000's? I bought that and the updates each year. Thought it was amazing. And then, came the Internet.

 

[MGMmjl]

Who remembers Microsoft's Encarta in the 1990's and early 2000's? I bought that and the updates each year. Thought it was amazing. And then, came the Internet.

I remember that Encarta, along with other software, came free with a Packard-Bell computer my parents gave me for Christmas in 1996. I thought Encarta was the greatest!

 

[happybaker]

Man, you guys all had encyclopedias! That was for rich people. I was told that is what the library was for.

(And I say this growing up middle class. We were not poor by any means, but my parents were not paying for encyclopedias. Too expensive.)

Same here. It wasn't so bad walking to the library but it was all uphill to get home. It was about 1.5 miles. My dad could pass the library on his way home from work, so he could pick us up, if needed.

 

[JLTraveling]

Did anyone else have the Readers Digest Classic Collection

Usually an abridged version of the clasics with three to four separate novels in one book?
View attachment 889840
I loved reading those and it was great exposure to classic novels for kids wo would otherwise not make it through the unabridged version.

Yes! We had those and a set of encyclopedias, though I don't remember which publisher, in the office. I was a huge book nerd, so I would spend hours in there just randomly reading whatever caught my eye. We had a large collection of full-length books too, but those were awesome for a shorter read.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I think our closest library was a 20 minute drive and had to go downtown.

Ours was that too! Was told to go to school library before/after classes or during lunch. The occasional trip downtown was provided with big projects. My parents did have some sympathy.

I at least had it easy in that department. Small town, and when I was about 8, we moved only a couple of blocks from the library. I practically lived there that summer!

 

[JLTraveling]

I remember that Encarta, along with other software, came free with a Packard-Bell computer my parents gave me for Christmas in 1996. I thought Encarta was the greatest!

We thought we had arrived when we got Encarta lol. Nothing will ever replace the sight, feel, and smell of a real book though.

Anybody remember the Charlie Brown 'Cyclopedias? I had a whole set of those too. Lost them (and most everything else) in Hurricane Katrina, but I've been slowly rebuilding my collection through thrift store finds.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I’m not sure what brand but we had a whole set, not just the letter “V”

I saw this and instantly heard Joey in my head saying, "What do you want to talk about? Vivisection?"

 

[Skippy918]

We had a set of world book encyclopedias. My mom was able to trade in her childhood set for an updated version. I think she had a 1965 edition. Upgraded to the 1989 version.

 

[NYCgrrl]

No encyclopedia in our house but our parents showed us the beauty of the library at a young age. By the time I was 10 years old I’d already graduated to full access of the local library’s adult section. Older sister had fought the battle first so still and always thanks, BigSissy.

I bought into buying a set of Encyclopedia Brittanica for my kiddos; so useless since libraries still existed . And they paid back by rarely opening them .
Expensive lesson on pursuing some aspects of the “American Dream”.