In Memoriam
The Cause
The printed encyclopaedia died at home in 2012, aged 244, of obsolescence. It had been in declining health since the arrival of the CD-ROM and had not been consulted in earnest for some years.
A Life Recalled
Born in Edinburgh in three volumes, it grew to thirty-two and to a weight no shelf was built for. It was sold door to door by men in ties and bought by parents as a promise. For two centuries it was the last word, because it was the only word within reach.
It was outlived by its errors, which remain in millions of homes, uncorrected, bound in leatherette.
Survived By
A website edited by everyone, a search box, a chatbot that cites the website, and the shelf, which now holds board games.