An encyclopedia is a book or series of books that contain articles on a wide range of subjects or on variousaspects of a particular field.The word "encyclopedia" comes from the Greek enkyklios paideia, a "circle of learning." Originallymeaning a general education, it has come to signify a
reference work containing information on all branches ofknowledge, either in general or in a specialized field.An encyclopedia is often confused with a dictionary. Adictionary provides definition of words, while an
encyclopedia explores topics in depth with illustrations,maps, and photographs. Encyclopedias are now available online, with no print version. One of the
most important advantages of online encyclopedias is that they can be edited frequently, so they
are up to date. Traditionally, an encyclopedia was written by a single writer or as a collaborative
effort, but new works are being put together by a team of writers who often have no face to face
contact whatsoever with each other.
With the introduction of personal computers, CD-ROMs, and the World Wide Web,
many encyclopedias are now being published in CD-ROM form, with the most notable
example being Microsoft's Encarta.
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