Encyclopedia Britannica is 250

[Rob Wick]

My father died at the age of 39 when I was five (June of this year will be the 50th anniversary of his death). A rather disreputable door-to-door salesman convinced my mother that a new set of World Book encyclopedias would be what her four young children needed to become successful. Although the scumbag took advantage of a new widow, the books did put me on the path to knowledge. When I gave the eulogy at Mom's funeral, I mentioned that those encyclopedias launched my love of learning. I said that I often spent several rainy Saturday afternoons (and a few sunny ones) reading through them.

My sister got the books because she wanted to use them as a trade-in for a newer set for her children. When Mom got the encyclopedias, she also got a huge two-volume unabridged dictionary that sits in my office to this day.

Best
Rob