The end of hard-backed Encyclopedia Britannica is another sign of the end of the book

It is hard to believe that Encyclopedia Britannica (EB) is to stop producing books and only publish on the web; (http://m.ft.com/cms/s/0/7382302e-6d1f-11e1-ab1a-00144feab49a.html). I remember growing up with EB, using it all the time for school, usually borrowing my father's copies. I used to look at the salesmen who sold EB, with longing, trying to work out whether the huge monthly fees to get the whole collection, were affordable.

I can't quite recall when I stopped using EB, but it happened a while ago - probably with the arrival of the Internet. I did try the EB CD for a while, but then Wikipedia became irresistible and I have been hooked ever since. Wikipaedia replaced EB a long time ago, just as google has slowly replaced long searches in libraries.

EB is going to have a hard time online, as Wikipedia has cornered the market. Its success is because it is produced by the people, for the people, whereas EB is still subject to the expertise of the 'great and the good'.

Having said that, quality always triumphs, so if EB is to succeed, it will have a to have a breadth and depth that Wikipedia can't compete with.

Whatever happens on the web, the end of EB Books really does end an era. It signifies yet again the end of the book as we know it: Kindles, here we come.