All the Knowledge in the World

''Witty and geekily eclectic'' The Times
An erudite and amusing exploration'' Financial Times
''Full of jawdropping facts'' Mail on Sunday
''Remarkable . . . engrossing'' Sunday Times
''A pleasure'' Spectator
''An infectiously enthusiastic history'' Times Literary Supplement

The encyclopaedia once shaped our understanding of the world. Now these huge books sell for almost nothing on eBay while we derive...