

The 15th edition has a three-part structure: a 12-volume Micropædia of short articles (generally fewer than 750 words), a 17-volume Macropædia of long articles (two to 310 pages), and a single Propædia volume to give a hierarchical outline of knowledge.

announced it would no longer publish printed editions and would focus instead on the online version. In March 2012, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

In 1933, the Britannica became the first encyclopaedia to adopt "continuous revision", in which the encyclopaedia is continually reprinted, with every article updated on a schedule. Starting with the 11th edition and following its acquisition by an American firm, the Britannica shortened and simplified articles to broaden its appeal to the North American market. Its rising stature as a scholarly work helped recruit eminent contributors, and the 9th (1875–1889) and 11th editions (1911) are landmark encyclopaedias for scholarship and literary style. The encyclopaedia grew in size: the second edition was 10 volumes, and by its fourth edition (1801–1810) it had expanded to 20 volumes. It was first published between 17 in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, as three volumes. Printed for 244 years, the Britannica was the longest running in-print encyclopaedia in the English language. Since 2016, it has been published exclusively as an online encyclopaedia. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, which spans 32 volumes and 32,640 pages, was the last printed edition. The encyclopaedia is maintained by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 contributors. the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various times through the centuries. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The Encyclopædia Britannica ( Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopædia.
