Encyclopaedia Britannica to Stop Printing Books

Chalk one up for the age of Wikipedia: The venerable Encyclopaedia Britannica won't be printing any more reference books, reports the New York Times. The move ends a 244-year tradition, one that struggled to compete in the digital world. A big reason: Its latest 32-volume set, printed in 2010, costs $1,395. From now on, the Chicago-based company will focus instead on its website.

“It’s a rite of passage in this new era,” the company's president tells the Times. “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.” (More Encyclopedia Britannica stories.)