Encyclopædia Britannica
The "Britannica" is the English-language encyclopaedia/encyclopedia that was in print for the longest time: it lasted 244 years. It was first published between 1768 and 1771 in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, as three volumes. (This first edition is available in facsimile.) The encyclopaedia grew in size: the second edition was 10 volumes, and by its fourth edition (1801–1810) it had expanded to 20 volumes. Its rising stature as a scholarly work helped recruit eminent contributors, and the 9th (1875–1889) and 11th editions (1911) are landmark encyclopaedias for scholarship and literary style. Beginning with the 11th edition and following its acquisition by an American firm, the "Britannica" shortened and simplified articles to broaden its appeal to the North American market. In 1933, the "Britannica" became the first encyclopaedia to adopt "continuous revision", in which the encyclopaedia is continually reprinted, with every article updated on a schedule. In March 2012, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. announced it would no longer publish printed editions, and would focus instead on "Encyclopædia Britannica Online".
Mary Ritter Beard
After the dissolution of the World Centre for Women's Archives in 1940, Beard's next project was an analysis of Encyclopædia Britannica's representation of women, produced following the suggestion of Walter Yust, chief editor of the "Britannica". Beard convened a team of fellow female scholars (Dora Edinger, Janet A. Selig, and Marjorie White) to produce "A Study of the Encyclopaedia Britannica in Relation to its Treatment of Women". Beard and her colleagues worked on the report over an 18-month period and in November 1942 delivered its 42 pages to Yust. However, the recommendations of the report were ignored despite Yust's expressed interest and assurances that the "Britannica" would include improvements. Hence, Beard was disappointed with the effort and in 1947 correspondence she suggested that women no longer write for the "Britannica".