World Book Review and Profile

World Book is a Chicago-based educational publishing company whose history dates to 1917, when publishers J.H. Hanson and John Bellows introduced the first edition of The World Book. Working with educator Michael Vincent O'Shea, they developed an encyclopedia intended to be easier for children and families to understand than the more formal reference works then available. The original edition consisted of eight volumes and approximately 6,300 pages. W.F. Quarrie & Company acquired World Book in 1919, and the business later became part of Field Enterprises after Marshall Field III acquired Quarrie in 1945.

For much of the twentieth century, World Book relied heavily on direct selling. Independent and commissioned sales representatives demonstrated encyclopedia sets in consumers' homes and sold World Book, Childcraft and related educational products directly to families. The organization became one of the largest direct-sales operations in the world. By the period surrounding its acquisition by Scott Fetzer in 1978, World Book had built an educational direct-sales force of more than 60,000 people, many working part time, and its encyclopedias were outselling Encyclopaedia Britannica by a substantial margin. Historical company records classify World Book under both book publishing and direct selling.

World Book's product line expanded beyond its flagship encyclopedia to include Childcraft ââ'¬" The How and Why Library, the World Book Dictionary, World Book Year Book, Science Year, atlases, children's educational series and other reference products. Beginning in the late 1980s and 1990s, the company increasingly moved into electronic publishing as personal computers began reducing demand for expensive printed encyclopedia sets. Products included CD-ROM editions and the World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia, followed by Internet-based reference and educational services.