Prince William and Catherine Middleton: The Royal Wedding of 2011 - Prince William and Catherine Middleton: The Royal Wedding of 2011 - Britannica’s coverage of past British royal weddings: Since Victoria’s wedding to Albert in February 1840, their descendants the members of the house of Windsor have been parties to more than two dozen weddings. Some of those marriages were brief, others long; death parted some of the couples, while others divorced. The following excerpts from past editions of the Britannica Book of the Year, which began publication in 1938, capture a vivid history of British royal weddings during the 20th century.
In 1938 the Britannica Book of the Year published a biography of the man who, until December 1936, was known as Edward VIII. “I have found it impossible to
General English-language encyclopædia Beginning with the 11th edition, the Britannica gradually shortened and simplified its articles in order to broaden its North American market. - wikipedia
The Encyclopædia Britannica is one of the most well-known and respected general encyclopædias in the world. It is also probably the oldest popular English-language reference, the first edition being published in Edinburgh in 1768, under the title A Dictionary of Arts and Sciences .
Beginnings
Conceived by printers Andrew Bell and Colin Macfarquhar, and edited largely by William Smellie, it was published in three volumes, the last being published in 1771. With 2,391 pages and 160 engraved illustrations, it must have made a tremendous impact, being not only broad both in scope, but having a depth of research. Despite this, the organisation of the work made it easy to use, combining both comprehensive articles on more important subjects, and shorter articles on technical terms.