The Bookseller.com

4th July 2009

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Book not dead, says Wiki publisher

22.07.08

The publisher of a book version of internet reference website Wikipedia has insisted that printed reference works are not dead, reports the Guardian.

The publication reverses the industry trend towards the internet and away from traditional print. Earlier this year, Brockhaus Encyclopedia, the German equivalent of the Encyclopedia Britannica, announced plans to make its 30-volume leather-bound set accessible online. The move put into doubt future printed editions of the respected encyclopedia. The online version will be funded through advertising.

The Wikipedia Lexikon has turned into something of "a document of the zeitgeist", said Beate Varnhorn, a director at its publisher Bertelsmann Lexicon. "Unlike Brockhaus, we think the market for print reference books remains positive," said Varnhorn. "The book is highly flexible, I can use it on the sofa while watching television, at the desk, in the garden or in bed, without having to turn on the computer."

Guardian

Bertelsmann Wikipedia Wikipedia Lexikon