After 244 years, the Encyclopedia Britannica is going out of print. The move is an acknowledgment of the realities of the digital age - and of competition from Wikipedia. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., a company based in Chicago, will focus now on its online encyclopedias and curriculum for schools. 
"It's a rite of passage in this new era," Jorge Cauz, the company's president. "Some people will feel sad about it and nostalgic about it. But we have a better tool now. The Web site is continuously updated, it's much more expansive and it has multimedia." The last print version of the encyclopedia is the 32-volume 2010 edition, which weighs 129 pounds and includes new entries on global warming and the Human Genome Project. Even though I love the capabilities of the internet, the loss of more books makes me sad. The news brought an outpouring on Twitter. This picture is of the first edition from 1768. Rest in Peace.
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