Richards Topical Encyclopedia (15 vols.)
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Fair
Jacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage
Pages: Yellowed
Condition remarks: Vol 14 - frontispiece damaged.
A cornerstone of mid-twentieth-century home reference, Richards Topical Encyclopedia stands as a monument to the era's ambition to make all human knowledge accessible beneath a single roof. Spanning fifteen handsomely produced volumes, this complete set organises the vast breadth of human knowledge — science, history, geography, the arts, and natural history — not alphabetically, but topically, grouping related subjects together so that the curious reader is drawn naturally from one field of understanding into the next. It was designed not merely to answer questions, but to educate, guiding readers of all ages through interconnected disciplines with the clarity and authority of a trusted tutor. As a collectible artefact of encyclopaedic publishing, this set reflects the golden age of the home library, when families invested in curated knowledge as both a cultural statement and an intellectual resource. The richly illustrated spines, uniform in their scenic artwork, speak to a time when reference works were crafted to inspire wonder as much as to inform. Whether consulted by a student seeking foundational knowledge or a collector drawn to its nostalgic heritage, Richards Topical Encyclopedia raises a compelling question: in an age of instant information, what is lost when we stop turning pages?
Author: -
Format: Hardback
Published: 1953, J.A. Richards
Genre: Reference & language
Condition remarks:
Book: Fair
Jacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage
Pages: Yellowed
Condition remarks: Vol 14 - frontispiece damaged.
A cornerstone of mid-twentieth-century home reference, Richards Topical Encyclopedia stands as a monument to the era's ambition to make all human knowledge accessible beneath a single roof. Spanning fifteen handsomely produced volumes, this complete set organises the vast breadth of human knowledge — science, history, geography, the arts, and natural history — not alphabetically, but topically, grouping related subjects together so that the curious reader is drawn naturally from one field of understanding into the next. It was designed not merely to answer questions, but to educate, guiding readers of all ages through interconnected disciplines with the clarity and authority of a trusted tutor. As a collectible artefact of encyclopaedic publishing, this set reflects the golden age of the home library, when families invested in curated knowledge as both a cultural statement and an intellectual resource. The richly illustrated spines, uniform in their scenic artwork, speak to a time when reference works were crafted to inspire wonder as much as to inform. Whether consulted by a student seeking foundational knowledge or a collector drawn to its nostalgic heritage, Richards Topical Encyclopedia raises a compelling question: in an age of instant information, what is lost when we stop turning pages?