Dear Dirty America

The Atlantic reports:

The encyclopedia has long been the standard bearer for factual information and historical accounts — not to mention a mark of status for their owners, many of whom paid for them in monthly installments.

Recent years have seen a sharp decline: The 1990 edition sold 120,000 editions in the United States — the most ever — but the 2010 edition sold just 8,000. Four thousand copies are still in a warehouse, waiting for owners. Today, the printed encyclopedia accounts for less than one percent of the company’s revenues.