Page 3 Advertisements Column 2

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 66, 18 March 1903, Page 3

A Passing Opportunity! "NJffi IPIJgEg" OFEE^. A GREAT UNDERTAKING. What "The Century" Is. Wherein It Differs from Every Other Reference Work. How It Has Superseded Them All. TIGHTEEN years ago work was first begun upon what is now " The Ji Century Dictionary and"Cyclopaedia and Atlas." Between 188& and 1891 a portion was published in six volumes. Although a large part of the matter in these volumes was encyclopaedic in its nature, they were published under the simple title of " The Century Dictionary," the full title being reserved for the completed work. In 1894 an additional portion appeared under the title of " The Century Cyclopaedia of Names." The matter in this was entirely encyclopaedic. This portion alone contained in the neighbourhood of 50,000 titles, as large a number as is to be : found in any of the well-known encyclopedias. The Finished Work, now published in its final and perfected form, contains all that was in " The Century Dictionary," as well as was in " The Century Cycl of Names," but thoroughly revised and with much additional and later material added, including the massive Atlas. The appearance of the present 10-volume edition, therefore, marks the completion of the work as originally planned, and is the culmination of what is universally recognised as the greatest literary enterprise ever undertaken in America. A brief summary of the distinctive features of the work will best explain its practical utility to every one who writes, reads, or thinks, and at the same time show the vast range which it covers. The Men Who Made It. " The Century " is the work of experts througkout, each different, department being in charge of that scholar who was recognised as first in his special field." The editorial chief was Professor William Dwight Whitney, Ph.D., LL.D., for forty years professor in Yale University, acknowledged in England and in America as the highest authority in the world on philology. His co-editors, with their assistants, numbering more thftn 500, were all chosen as being specialists of world renown in their respective branches, of learniusr.

Tue total number of contributors was far in excess of that ever engaged on any reference work. A work conceived on such a basis and prepared by such scholarly minds could scarcely fail to be thorough to the last, degree. This quality is as manifest in the placing of an accent as in the; survey of a great science or the history of a revolution. A Complete Working Library. " The Century" is more than a reference work ; it is a complete working-library. It combines in ten volumes all the advantages of dictionary, cyclopaedia, atlas, handbook, gazetteer, biographical dictionary, and many other works, and all on a plan which for the first time meets, the requirements alike of the busy man of affairs and the most exacting student. It more than takes the place of all other dictionaries and cyclopaedias combined. Its Flan. The central idea which has been embodied in "The Century" was the compilation of an entirely new work which should not copy the blunders of its predecessors, but should be new from beginning to end and along entirely original lines. Most works of reference hitherto published have been in large measure compiled from preceding works, even copyingerrors and transmitting knowledge long out of date. In " The Century " the doubtful records of earlier works have been corrected or eke proven correct by tracing them to their souri'??. Then, too, the aim of the editors was to produce a work which would be equally full in qvery line, condensing as far as possible all knowledge (whether previously scattered through a multitude of. different books largely inaccessible to most persons, or never before contained in any book) into one work which should answer the questions and meet the needs of everyone—a work, in fact, which should sum up all existing knowledge in art, science, literature, and the trades, and in which the information should be authoritative and down to date. Arrangement. Finally, for its practical utility a plan of arrangement was adopted which made each item in all this vast storehouse of recorded facts instantly accessible. To most people this ready-reference feature is the most noticeable characteristic of " The Century " as compared with the old-line reference works, which contain comparatively few, but long, entries. To-day no one wishes to hunt through a long dissertation on the sun to find the description of a sun-spot, or through an account of the life and works of Shakespeare to learn about the play of "Othello." We wish at once to turn to "sun-spot" or "Othello" for our information. " The Century " has accordingly increased enormously the number of its headings, so that it has probably 100,000 more encyclopaedic articles than any other encyclopaedia. As a Dictionary. " The Centuiy " is not only the most comprehensive ever published, but it is the only one that covers the whole language from the earliest times to the present, and that gives the latest and authoritative results of scholarly research in the origin, spelling, pronunciation, and meaning of words. It gives every shade of meaning of every word, amplified by illustrations, quotations and synonyms.

No other work ever published contains so many quotations. The best-known book of quotations has about 10,000; "The Century " has 300,000, gathered from every source, from the earliest writers to the newspapers of the present year. In addition to all this, "The Century includes, for the first time, an exhaustive collection of technical terms employed in all the sciences, arts, trades, and professions. In order that no single word or phrase, common or uncommon, ordiuary or technical, should be omitted, many thousands of volumes, papers, reports, and treaties, and even catalogues and advertisements, were read, the result being that thousands of words which had never before appeared in any dictionary were found and are here given and defined with precision. As an Atlas. "The Century" is the latest and best published. The wonderful maps are entirely new, and are as original in plan, as authoritative and as comprehensive, as the rest of the work. European Atlases neglect the United States, while American works have hitherto been unsatisfaatory in their treatment of Europe and the far East. "The Century" covers the whole world thoroughly, and with absolute correctness in every detail. The most recent political changes are shown, while a wealth of data one wonld expect to find only in encyclopaedias and chronicles (battlefields, with dates ; routes of exploring parties ; the ownership of countries during all times, etc.) make of these maps a complete practical history of the world —and that without any complexity or loss of legibility. The results of the United States census of 1900 are embodied in full. Two out of Hundreds. "The best investment I ever made. It makes my set of 'Encyclopedia "^-.nmca' worth double its cost, the two works being remarkably well adapted to mother. ' The Century' is, indeed, as yoasay, a ' Great Question-Answerer.'" SUBSCRIBER No. 351. "I am charmed with 'The Century' in cvu.y way. Its range of subjects is imense, and the definitions are as full as can be desired. 'The Century' is a library in itself, whose stores of knowledge are easily available, wholly correct, and up-to- " i"s." SUBSCRIBER No. 152. -Order Form. Pos)al THE MANAGER, tfte Cimes '^^si* 8 *« be made Payable to the order of THE BANK OF NEW SOUTH WALES. (New Zealand Office.) ' ' f Cloth, for which I agree to make to you,) or anyone you appoint, .24 additional I enclose Ten Shil- monthly payments of 10 Shillings, lings. Half Morocco, for which I agree to make to &"!"> ™ , you, or anyone you appoint, 20 addi- , „ Please send me tiolla , montbJy p aymen^ of 16 Shmings . "" »« The Century Die- T HBEE - QUABTEB MOEOOCO - " The »«* «w tionary & CyclopaH Times » Special Binding-for *which I> dia & Atlas, 10 agree to make to you, or anyone you °J tJtese Volumes, bound in appoint, 20 additional monthly payments of 18 Shillings. *The best Binding for this climate. Full Morocco, for which I agree to make to (jrafhs you, or anyone you appoint, 24 addii, tional monthly payments of 20 Shillings.; The first of these monthly payments to be made immediately upon delivery of the complete set of 10 volumes, and the succeeding payments regularly on the corresponding day of each month following. Until such payments are complete I engage that the volumes, not being my property, shall not be disposed of by sale or otherwise. I further agree that if, owing to unforseen circumstances, of which you shall be the judge, the volumes cannot be delivered, the return of the deposit of 10 shillings to me shall cancel this agreement. Strike ont ad]oimng i Please also send a "Century" Bookcase, for rass&ErH;*** vt to K make (af ; ter ments for the Books have been completed) a further payment of 31/6. (Signed) (Bank w Occupation) (Address) [N.P. News, L.lo] Please address the package t0... If the books are to be delivered"\ beyond Wellington, the purchaser should 1 add here the name of the railway oe ship- L Dine acent in Wellington to whom delivery f »TTEX PER CENT. DISCOUNT FOR CASH. While the purpose of the system of monthly payments is to enable persons of moderate but assured income to purchase "THE CENTURY," those subscribers who prefer to do so may pay the full price in one payment. Cash prices: Cloth, £u ss. od. ; Half-Morocco, £l4 17s. od. ; Three-Quarter Morocco (recom- 1 mended), £l6 13s. od. ; Full Morocco, £22 is. od. ; Bookcase, 31/6 net cash. £® v BOOKS ON VIEW. Specimen Volumes may be examined, and order booked at the following address—Mr. THOMAS AVERY, New Plymouth.