After 244 years, the publisher of one of the most popular reference sources in history — the Encyclopaedia Britannica — decided to stop printing volumes. It was a victim of technology and the multitude of competing online resources, many of them free.

In writing the “obituary” for the print version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Julie Bosman said this in the New York Times: “In an acknowledgment of the realities of the digital age — and of competition from the Web site Wikipedia — Encyclopaedia Britannica will focus primarily on its online encyclopedias and educational curriculum for schools. The last print version is the 32-volume 2010 edition [priced at $1,395], which weighs 129 pounds and includes new entries on global warming and the Human Genome Project. About half a million households pay a $70 annual fee for the online subscription, which includes access to the full data base of articles, videos, original documents, and the company’s mobile applications.”

Shown here is set of the Encyclopaedia Britannica on the shelves of the New York Public Library.

Photo by Ángel Franco/New York Times