Why Are Old Encyclopedias Worthless? The Complete Explanation

This is the most common question in rare book appraisal, asked thousands of times daily by people who’ve inherited sets of Encyclopaedia Britannica, World Book, or Funk & Wagnalls: “Are my old encyclopedias worth anything?” The answer, with very few exceptions, is no. They are worth nothing. Not $100, not $50, not even $10 per volume. They are unsaleable, undonatable, and — in the harshest market reality — essentially recyclable paper.

This article explains why, addresses the exceptions, and suggests what to do with sets you’d rather not throw away.

Why Encyclopedias Have No Value

1. Massive Production Volumes

Encyclopedia sets were among the most aggressively marketed consumer products of the twentieth century. Door-to-door salesmen sold millions of sets annually. The production numbers are staggering:

When millions of sets were produced and millions survive in attics and basements, there is no scarcity. Without scarcity, there is no market value.

2. The Internet Destroyed Their Utility

Encyclopedias had ONE function: providing reference information. The internet performs that function infinitely better — more comprehensively, more currently, and free. When a product’s utility is eliminated, its market value collapses. This happened rapidly:

• 1993: First online encyclopedias appear
• 2001: Wikipedia launches (free, comprehensive, constantly updated)
• 2005: Encyclopedia Britannica stops selling door-to-door
• 2010: Britannica ceases print publication entirely
• 2012: Final printed Britannica sets produced

The printed encyclopedia is now a technological artifact — like a typewriter or a rotary phone. Some people find them charming; no one finds them useful.

3. Physical Bulk Destroys Salability

A typical encyclopedia set consists of 20-30 large volumes weighing 50-100+ pounds total. This creates impossible economics:

• Shipping: $50-$100+ to ship a full set (often exceeds any conceivable sale price)
• Storage: Requires 4-6 feet of shelf space that most buyers would rather use for other things
• Handling: Heavy, awkward, and difficult to photograph for online sales

Even if someone wanted a set for decorative purposes, the logistics make the transaction uneconomical.

4. No Collecting Community Exists

Rare books are valuable because collectors want them. There is no community of encyclopedia collectors. No one builds a collection of World Book sets from different decades. No one displays Funk & Wagnalls in their library as a status symbol. Without collectors, there is no demand. Without demand, there is no value.

The Rare Exceptions

A very small number of encyclopedia-related items have collecting value:

First Edition Encyclopaedia Britannica (1768-1771)

The original first edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, published in Edinburgh in three volumes between 1768 and 1771, is a genuinely rare and valuable antiquarian book. Complete sets in good condition: $5,000-$20,000+. But these look nothing like the 20th-century sets people are usually asking about — they are three quarto volumes with engraved plates, produced in small quantities 250+ years ago.

Diderot’s Encyclopédie (1751-1772)

Denis Diderot’s French Encyclopédie — the Enlightenment masterwork — is a significant antiquarian collectible. Complete sets: $10,000-$50,000+. Individual engraved plates (often extracted and sold separately): $50-$500 each.

Decorative Bindings

Occasionally, an encyclopedia set has value for its BINDING rather than its content — full leather sets with gilt tooling, for example. These might sell to interior decorators or as “books by the foot” for $5-$15 per volume. This is essentially scrap value for the leather.

Specific Plates and Maps

Some encyclopedia sets contain engravings, maps, or plates that have individual value when extracted. This is destructive to the set but may be the only way to realize any value. Pre-1900 encyclopedias with hand-colored plates or notable maps might yield $20-$100 per plate if extracted and sold individually.

What to Do With Unwanted Encyclopedias

Options (Best to Worst)

1. Offer free locally (Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor): Some people still want them for decorative purposes, homeschooling, or craft projects. List as “free, you haul.”

2. Donate to a thrift store (if they’ll accept them): Goodwill and Salvation Army stores have become increasingly reluctant to accept encyclopedia sets because they don’t sell. Call ahead.

3. Offer to a school or library (if they want them): Most won’t — they were purged from libraries decades ago. But some art teachers use old encyclopedias for paper crafts, collage, and decoupage.

4. Recycle: Paper recycling is the honest final option. The paper in post-1950 encyclopedias is typically acid-free and suitable for recycling.

5. Art/Craft use: Some artists and crafters buy old encyclopedia pages for paper crafts. Individual illustrated pages can sell for $1-$5 on Etsy.

What NOT to Do

• Don’t pay to have them appraised. You’ll spend $100-$300 on an appraisal that tells you they’re worth $0.
• Don’t ship them anywhere. The shipping cost will exceed any conceivable return.
• Don’t store them hoping they’ll appreciate. They won’t. The market will never return for mass-produced twentieth-century encyclopedias.
• Don’t feel guilty about recycling them. They served their purpose when information was scarce. Information is no longer scarce. It’s okay to let them go.

The Emotional Dimension

Many people find it difficult to discard encyclopedias because:

• They represent a significant investment by the original purchaser (often $500-$2,000 in 1960s-80s dollars)
• They carry family memories (childhood research, the smell of their pages)
• There’s a cultural reluctance to destroy books of any kind

These feelings are valid — but they don’t create market value. You can honor the memory of the books while acknowledging their current worthlessness. Keep one volume as a memento if you wish (many people keep the volume containing their birth year). Recycle the rest without guilt.