"The encyclopedia once shaped our understanding of the world. Created by thousands of scholars and the most obsessive of editors, a good set conveyed a sense of absolute wisdom on its reader. Contributions from Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Orville Wright, Alfred Hitchcock, Marie Curie and Indira Gandhi helped millions of children with their homework. Adults cleared their shelves in the belief that everything that was explainable was now effortlessly...

"A 7-volume illustrated, alphabetically arranged set that presents profiles of individual nations and other political/geographical units, including an overview of history, geography, economy, people, culture, and government for each. Includes a history of the settlement of each world region based on archaeological findings; a cumulative index; and Web resources"--Provided by publisher.

The Prime Minister is compiling a dictionary and when no one at court can agree on the meaning of delicious, the King sends his twelve-year-old messenger to poll the country.