This first edition set is in good condition and is meant to be worn ragged and bald with love, like the Velveteen Rabbit.It is cloth bound hardcover, teal blue/greenish, beautiful. One volume's spine is a little ragged thanks to a "loving" dog (heh, I was gonna say, "dog-eared"). It has a pretty Tree of Life motif running across the covers. I need to sell it.
My financial fortunes have not been that great, well, for a long time. I use whatever resources I can to keep me going. When I was growing up, I used to peruse the Encyclopaedia Britannica for fun; I had hoped to spend a lifetime doing the same with the EJ. It kills my heart to have to sell it. According to my research, $900 US (plus shipping) is a very good price for the set (compare here).
I don't want to place it for auction, because of logistics- it is stored in a mensch's warehouse, down in LA. I live thousands of miles away and can't show it.
I am not sure what year this First Edition set is (maybe 1972). I also think it may have a couple of yearbooks. I was just reading about the new 22 volume, Second Edition and it turns out that there are no illustrations/photos whatsoever (compared to the 2000 in the First Edition). Customer reviews of the new edition have shown disappointment over that fact and the fact that not much more of substance has been added. So, I'm thinking the First Edition is a keeper. Funny, I never really had a chance to dip into it very much because I had to move far away.
Encyclopaedia Judaica is a Jewish touchstone that no CD ROM could approximate. And after all, we are "People of the Book", not "People of the CD Rom". For anyone who adores Jewish knowledge, the sensuous and immediate pleasure of books, and can't live without a seminal compilation of Jewish history and thought, touch and travel through the pages and rare pictures and illustrations of this Classic set of texts and feel it all come alive. No Jewish home should be without this treasure.
Anyone interested, or if you have questions, may contact me via the email address provided in my profile. Many thanks!
