Saturday, November 9, 2013

My Influential Books: Richards Topical Encyclopedia


This third in a haphazard series of essays on books that made a big difference in my life follows posts on You Will Go To the Moon by Mae and Ira Freeman, and Yellow Yellow by Frank Asch and Mark Alan Stamaty. Today's: Richard's Topical Encyclopedia, copyright 1959.

I wasn't yet born when Richards Topical Encyclopedia was published, but I might have been on the way. I'm not sure what Mom was thinking when she bought it. She had no higher education herself--I infer she only scraped through high school--but books were important to her and encyclopedias were the most important, highest-status books of all. She was a poor single working mother with two kids but nevertheless managed to outfit our house with (as I recall) three sets of encyclopedias by the time my sister and I could read. I think at least one of them was the sort you could buy volume by volume every time you went to the grocery store. It's possible she was repeatedly suckered by slick door-to-door encyclopedia salesmen, but I'd rather believe she was doing her best to till fertile ground for her children's minds to grow.

The set's 15 volumes weren't organized alphabetically, but by subject: science, social studies, industry, art, biography, leisure activities. Each volume comprised many short articles on particular subtopics, all well illustrated. Although the reading level seems aimed at pre-teen kids, their content was solid and thorough. I don't see any condescension or "dumbing-down."

I read them all, enthralled. Some volumes several times.

That had some unfortunate consequences. Getting a reputation as "the weird kid who reads encyclopedias for fun," even if it's not a regulation encyclopedia, had its social drawbacks--though knowing many of my blog's regular readers, I'm sure that's familiar turf for some.

Volumes 1 and 2 had all the astronomy and physics material. I practically wore them out.

Richards Topical Encyclopedia did me the great favor of introducing me to the work of space artist Chesley Bonestell, at right. By the way, kiddies, that photo of Mars on the left was about as good a view as anyone had of the Red Planet until the mid-'70s. Because I'm old. (Click on any of these pics to see them larger.)

Volume 14 was the real jackpot: "Leisure-time Activities," which were summarized on the volume's spine as "manual arts, games and sports, fairy tales, fables, stories, myths." What an understatement! Unmentioned on the spine: riddles, jokes, codebreaking, magic tricks, puppetry, card games, brain teasers, candy making, and fort building. Many rainy and snowy days were passed lost in the pages of Volume 14.

A spread from the mythology section, a great companion to Edith Hamilton's classic book. Also probably where I saw my first nekked women. Bless the ancient Greeks and the Romantic artists (and generations of young boys) they inspired.
My sister and I would occasionally put on magic shows featuring feats from this volume. Some of them worked some of the time.

I cannot express how much I wanted to build this private clubhouse with its secret subterranean entrance. Never got around to it, although it's still on my bucket list.

Our original set of Richards Topical Encyclopedia was lost more than 30 years ago. At the time, Mom and Dad had a coastal vacation home they rented to visitors; it had to be stocked with household stuff including old books, and when the home was later sold the stuff went with it. Somehow, Volume 1 got culled from the herd and eventually ended up in my bookcase. That gave me all the information I needed to years later find the entire set on eBay. Got it for a good price. Some people don't recognize solid gold.

I'll never know why Mom bought Richards Topical Encyclopedia. But if some salesman convinced her that it would change her children's lives, he was 100% right. She got her money's worth.

62 comments:

karen m said...

I'm pretty sure ours were the Encyclopedia Britannica, and yes, I am pretty sure my parents bought them from a door to door salesman. I spent many happy hours perusing them.

Linda Wilhelm said...

We had the World Book Encyclopedia, but I wore out the D and H volumes for dog and horse breeds.

Anonymous said...

I think it was on your 3rd reading when Mom informed me you weren't put on the Earth to entertain me. Boo!
xo-
Nurse Sis

Phylly3 said...

Wow! Thank you for this blog post with the wonderful pictures. My favourite was volume 14. My oldest sister confiscated it for her family so it is now the only one that still exists!

Brian Fies said...

Thanks, Phyllys! It's nice to make this kind of connection with a shared history.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Volume 14. A treasure from my childhood. I was looking at it tonight and reading some nursery rhymes to my my grandson. I did an internet search and that's what led me to your blog. It's nice to know someone else appreciated it too.

Dotty said...

I still have those encyclopedias. My parents bought them, and through the years, my brothers and I used it for reference and research. I now have then in my collection.

Brian Fies said...

Thanks, Dorthy (and Anonymous from May)! I think they're worth collecting.

Stephen G said...

At a party one of my father's friends suddenly yelled: "He reads the encyclopedia!" I wasn't embarrassed. I still have them.

Anonymous said...

We had these as well and I attribute my knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology to vol 14. Also loved the multilayered "see through" human body.

Anonymous said...

Volume 14 kept me company throughout my childhood. I was fascinated by the stories, the beautiful illustrations, the activities, etc. I'm happy to see it's cherished by others as well.

Brian Fies said...

It turns out there were a lot of us who spent our childhoods with these books! Thanks for commenting.

Anonymous said...

My sister saved Vol. 14 when my parents down-sized. I just recently was able to borrow it from my niece - it's like she handed me my childhood....

Brian Fies said...

It was wonderful, wasn't it?

Anonymous said...

We did build the clubhouse!! When my Dad saw that we were serious about it (i.e., after we had dug the underground part ourselves), he used it as a learning opportunity to show us how to frame a building, put on a roof and he even wired it with electricity (he was an electrician by trade). We spent many happy Saturday nights out there. After my cousin donated a very old black and white TV, we would watch the late "Shock Theater" movie on channel 8 out of Richmond, Virginia. Great memories, although unfortunately our set of encyclopedias was lost over time.

Brian Fies said...

Joseph, your note made my week. You built the clubhouse...AND IT WORKED! Fantastic! Wish you'd been my neighbor back then. Thanks a lot for the story.

Dotty said...

I wish I had the time and money to put them on a flashdrive.

Unknown said...

I grew up with these wonderful Books. I'd LOVE to turn up an old Set

Steve Jensen said...

I woke up today remembering this artifact from my childhood, 50-some years ago. I decided to see if I could find it online, and this blog was one of the first things that came up! My own favorite volumes were 7 and 8, the history volumes. I was just fascinated, at 9 or 10, learning the names and dates of all the European monarchs, which gave me a good grounding in history later on. I, too, grew up in a household with multiple encyclopedias--Richard's, the Encyclopedia Americana, an encyclopedia of science, and the Childcraft Books, a multi-volume set (bound in bright orange) that were like an encyclopedia, but more literary. Now we have the Internet, of course, but in those days a set of encyclopedias was probably the greatest gift parents could give a child.

Brian Fies said...

A lot of people have a lot of good memories about these books. Thanks for the comments!

Judy McDonough said...

Brian, thanks for this wonderful blog. I've been thinking about these books for years now, having grown up with them in our house. I always liked that my research for school reports cited to a source no one else seemed to have, and always appreciated that even though we had lots of kids in a small house we had our own full set of encyclopedias. We also had a set of four books that were purchased from the same door-to-door salesman that sold us the Richards; they were bright, primary colors and had poetry and stories, and I think animal and science facts. Did you have those, or maybe one of your readers did? I would love to know what they were so I could see if I could pick up a set or some of the volumes. Thanks again for a wonderful walk down memory lane.

Brian Fies said...

Judy, thanks for the comment! I don't know anything about the four-volume set, I don't think we ever had them. I wonder if you could track them down online (not much to go on...)? There's nothing quite like curling up on a rainy Sunday with a book that takes you away to somewhere else.

Judy McDonough said...

Brian, I'll let you know if I find them. Enjoying your Mechanical Monster follow-up comic, too. Good stuff.

Mrs Fletch said...

I have a set of these encyclopedias too. My grandparents had them in a linen press & when I was quite young I would sit on the floor under the cupboard door where they were with Volume 14. Our set were older as they were printed just after WWII, but didn't mention the war& no colour pics. I inherited them eventually.

Brian Fies said...

What a great memory! I didn't realize earlier editions of these encyclopedias dated back to the post-War years. Thanks for sharing your story.

Dotty said...

I don't have the time to save the whole content of these books on a flash drive, but I did save the title and content pages of each volume.

Unknown said...

discovered your blog yesterday ,as I was wishing my 'richards' goodbye.ive had them for 65 years.loved the book on music most of all....after vol.14.my children and grandchildren have also learnt from them.they are off to help a friend's grandchild find out about this wonderful world from books....rather than machinery.t.....hanks for reminding of their value.

Brian Fies said...

Dorothy and Merrilyn, thanks for reading and commenting.

Ron Welch said...

Since the last entry was dated July of 20017, I assume it is still active. I love the fact that there are all you folks out there who are familiar with one of the most profound influences of my childhood. Even before I could read my dad would get me up in his lap and read Volume 14, Leisure Time Activities. Mom, who had Mother Goose memorized would reinforce those rhymes as we recited them during the day while Dad was at work.

After I learned to read, I spent many a rainy day or evening with all the other volumes. When Dad finally decided to sell those books when I had my own children I grabbed Volume 14. I'm 70 now and I still have it. I just pulled it out a few moments ago. My wife and I were trying to remember our nursery rhymes over dinner. I'm glad I vol. 14 to clear up our fading memories. We got a lot correct but also a lot not so correct.

Anonymous said...

I could have written this! I grew up reading the Richards Topicsl Encyclopedia over and over and especially Vol. 14. Over and over. I have them all today but my 14 is in terrible shape, with no cover. I was probably too hard on it. I have searched fir a replacement for years to no avail.

Dotty said...

The original set of encyclopedias were a bit "dog-eared." So my husband found another set through the Internet a few years ago, but even though it was a 1959 edition that I had before, Richards Company must have issued two different editions that year: a school edition and a private edition. My parents had the private edition, and the edition I have now is the school edition. The differences are that the private edition had the transparent human body organs, and they are missing from the school edition; the Pope pictured in the private edition is John, and the school edition shows Pope Pius; and pictures of some of the nude artwork is blurred out in the school edition. Since John became Pope in 1959, I assume that the school edition came out earlier in 1959.

Brian Fies said...

Dorothy, I think you're right, and I think the home version was called the "Hearthside Edition," which is what we had. Thanks for commenting!

Anonymous said...

We had the post-war version, and it was a lot of fun for us. (The other book sets we had were the American People's Encyclopedia (not dumbed-down), with several yearbooks, and the Children's Hour story books, which I think were sold through Sears.)

Brian Fies said...

Thanks, Anon. Good memories! I don't know what modern kids would make of the idea that a set of encyclopedias could be "a lot of fun," but they were!

Ejo.yates said...

I just looked up Richards Topical Encyclopedia & came across your blog. I wore out Volume 14! But I also loved the Biography volume. Our set was put in storage and we lost it when we could keep up with payments on the unit. RTC was a big part of my education!

Brian Fies said...

Oh, so sorry you lost your set, but glad you have such good memories of it! The Biography volume was great. Thanks!

Ejo.yates said...

Thank you! I read all the Greek & Roman myths, the jokes & riddles. I remember a picture of Helen Keller "listening" to the radio by feeling vibrations on a piece of plywood connected to a radio. We also had the Grolier Encyclopedia, Lands and Peoples and The Book of Popular Science.

Beverley Niven said...

Oh my gosh I am loving this about the Richards Encyclopedia Volume 14!
I too longed to build that clubhouse! My brother Jack and I were the most interested in the books and he was great with his hands but sadly we never did build the clubhouse or the "House That Jack Built" on page 10.
I was trying to choose a favorite page but realized they were all my favorites.
Thanks so much for this!
Which volume had the dog breeds in it? I pored over those pictures everyday as I was in love with dogs!
I am hoping to buy that particular volume.
Kudos to the guy who actually built the clubhouse!!
Bev

Anonymous said...

I have looked on Ebay and Amazon for Volume 14 for years with no luch. I have my old copy but it has no cover. I read it way often!

Dotty said...

Is there any chance that someone could start a Facebook page about these encyclopedias?

Brian Fies said...

Ejo, my family had most of the same books. People really liked to own encyclopedias then, and a surprising number of kids loved to read them!

Beverly, thanks! I really wanted that clubhouse. I remember the dog breeds but can't tell you which volume had them. Wish I could; I lost my house in a fire a couple of years ago and the Richard's encyclopedias went with it. Hoping to replace it someday!

Kevin, thanks. They do turn up on eBay sometimes, keep looking and happy hunting!

Dotty, I don't know. You could do it! I can say that out of all the things I've posted in more than 15 years, this topic is the most popular.

Unknown said...

I have the complete set and the dogs are in Volume 4 page 489. I loved relying on this encyclopedia for my school papers. Bonnie

Unknown said...

Yes!! We had those too!! Sweet memories.

Unknown said...

Oh yes. Volume 14 was tattered abd well used. Loved it.

Unknown said...

So neat

Dotty said...

When was the last year that Richards Topical Encyclopedia came out?

Brian Fies said...

Sorry, Dotty, I have no idea!

straker said...

I was heartened to find your post on the Richards Topical Encyclopedia. These were very influential in my youth. You have pointed out some of the highlights, and the spaceflight/exploration section was a favourite. I rescued all volumes when we were clearing out my parent's home. You don't throw gems like this away. Thanks.

Brian Fies said...

Thanks, Straker! Glad you found the article. Funny how one set of books made such a big difference to so many people.

Jo said...

I found and bought the whole set (including Volume 14) on ebay for $75.00. I'm so happy to have them! I thought I was the only kid to read the encyclopedia! I think my parents bought several reference sets from a door-to-door salesman, even with a little bookcase. They truly were a wonderful gift for their kids!

Anonymous said...

Jo;
I am so envious that you got the whole set for $75! I would almost pay that much just for a copy of volume 14 with a cover on. Mine lost its cover years ago.

Anonymous said...

Dotty;
According to this, 1962 was the last year that Richards Topical Encyclopedia was published.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliography_of_encyclopedias

Dotty said...

Thanks Kevin. If I'm able to, I may try to find the 1962 edition.

ChrisMFrancis said...

Hi, great blog. I'm 64 and our family had the 1940 edition. Unfortunately Mum threw them out some years before she died in 2018. The other day I suddenly wanted to have the set again so I'm hoping to buy the 1940 edition set.

Anonymous said...

Put a permanent search on eBay and you will be notified if one becomes available. I did that for volume 14 two weeks ago and I got an email saying one was for sale on eBay. I didn’t mind paying $50 for a piece of my childhood that was so important to me.

Diana said...

I grew up in Colombia, so we had the Spanish version, it was called “Nueva Enciclopedia Temática “ and boy, me and my brother have wonderful memories from it! My mom still has it, except for Volume 13, which is the Leisure one, my brother stole it! I found an Spanish version on EBay (still waiting for it) in the hope it will encourage my kids to read in Spanish, but then I got curious about the English version, that’s when I found this post. I just ordered that one too! My husband grew on Child Craft, so I can’t wait to show him this one. Something I am wondering is I remember our Spanish version Leisure volume had instructions and the plans to build a scale model of a town. Does the English version has it? Because I found a digital copy of Volume 14 in archive.com and I didn’t see it. Maybe my memory is failing me and is in another volume?

Brian Fies said...

Diana, I don't see a scale-model town in my Volume 14. Maybe it depends on the edition (mine is 1959)? They do have instructions for building a single small house out of cardboard, and others for making a terrific puppet theater that kind of looks like a town--many neat colorful sets and backdrops.

It sure sounds familiar, though! Wish I could place it.

Hope you enjoy your books, I love the idea of teaching your kids Spanish with them.

Dotty said...

I ordered and received the 1962 edition.

Judi McKail said...

I spent my childhood with my nose buried mainly in Volume 14, but read many sections of the others as well. Dad's set was the one with the embossed cover showing the boat like a Viking ship. The set is luckily stored in a box here in a nice dry place. My adult son still talks about Volume 14 and how many things there were to do in it - they were and still are a marvellous set of informative encyclopedias.

Brian Fies said...

Judi, Volume 14 was the best! Thanks for commenting.

Steve, Melbourne Australia said...

Brian, what a blast from the past! Your first post was nearly 9 years ago, but I hope you're still reading these. We've had the Richards Encyclopaedias (and the Arthur Mees Children's Encyclopaedias) in a box at home for years. And yes, Volume 14 was the favourite, especially the private clubhouse. My cousin and I went to the extent of digging the escape tunnel behind our garage before the actual structure went up (which it never did). It just filled with water and became so smelly the neighbours complained and we had to fill it in. Nearly seventy now and went online to see if they have any worth (all very good condition, except for parts of volume 14 of course). I didn't think there would be any interest in them, but it seems there is. Not sure if they're saleable here in Australia, and their weight would make postage overseas prohibitive. At least they're now out of the box and in the bookshelves.

Brian Fies said...

Steve, thanks for the comment! I do still see comments, and this post has turned out to be one of my most popular. I envy you even trying to build that clubhouse with the underground entrance. I really wanted to build it but, even as a boy, I wondered what would happen the first time it rained. Now I know.