Funk and Wagnalls
Encyclopedia
Funk & Wagnalls was an American publisher known for its reference works, including A Standard Dictionary of the English Language (1st ed. 1894), and the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia (25 volumes, 1st ed. 1912).

The encyclopedia was renamed to Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Encyclopedia in 1931, and was later known as New Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia, Universal Standard Encyclopedia, Funk & Wagnalls Standard Reference Encyclopedia, and Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia (29 volumes, 1st ed. 1971),

The last printing of Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia was in 1997,

The I.K. Funk & Company, founded in 1875, was renamed to Funk & Wagnalls Company after two years, and later became Funk & Wagnalls Inc., then Funk & Wagnalls Corporation.

History

Isaac Kaufmann Funk
Isaac Kaufmann Funk
Isaac Kaufmann Funk was an American Lutheran minister, editor, lexicographer, publisher, and spelling reformer. He was the co-founder of Funk & Wagnalls Company, the father of author Wilfred J. Funk, and the grandfather of author Peter Funk...

 founded the business in 1875 as I.K. Funk & Company. In 1877, Adam Willis Wagnalls
Adam Willis Wagnalls
Adam Willis Wagnalls was an American publisher. He was the co-founder and co-eponym of the Funk & Wagnalls Company in 1877....

, one of Funk's classmates at Wittenberg College (now Wittenberg University
Wittenberg University
Wittenberg University is a private four-year liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio serving 2,000 full-time students representing 37 states and approximately 30 foreign countries...

), joined the firm as a partner and the name of the firm was changed to Funk & Wagnalls Company.

During its early years, Funk & Wagnalls Company published religious books. The publication of The Literary Digest in 1890 marked a shift to publishing of general reference dictionaries
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...

 and encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....

s. The firm published The Standard Dictionary of the English Language in 1894 and Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia in 1912.

The encyclopedia was based upon Chambers's Encyclopaedia
Chambers's Encyclopaedia
Chambers's Encyclopaedia was founded in 1860 by W. & R. Chambers. It has no relationship with the Chambers' Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences of Ephraim Chambers in the 18th century, except that the latter shared the same name as the publisher of this.-History:The first...

:
"Especially are we indebted to the famous Chambers's Encyclopaedia
Chambers's Encyclopaedia
Chambers's Encyclopaedia was founded in 1860 by W. & R. Chambers. It has no relationship with the Chambers' Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences of Ephraim Chambers in the 18th century, except that the latter shared the same name as the publisher of this.-History:The first...

...With its publishers we have arranged to draw upon its stores as freely as we have found it of advantage so to do."

Wilfred J. Funk
Wilfred J. Funk
Wilfred John Funk was an author, poet, lexicographer, and publisher. He was president of Funk & Wagnalls from 1925 to 1940, and founder of publishing company Wilfred Funk, Inc.-Personal life:...

, the son of Isaac Funk
Isaac Kaufmann Funk
Isaac Kaufmann Funk was an American Lutheran minister, editor, lexicographer, publisher, and spelling reformer. He was the co-founder of Funk & Wagnalls Company, the father of author Wilfred J. Funk, and the grandfather of author Peter Funk...

, was president of the company from 1925–1940.

Unicorn Press (later known as the Standard Reference Work Publishing Co.) obtained the rights to publish the encyclopedia, and by 1953 that firm began to sell the encyclopedia through a supermarket continuity marketing
Continuity marketing
Continuity marketing is a method of providing goods or services to consumers that relies on direct marketing and continues into perpetuity. Also known as auto-replenishment, this relationship continues until the customer decides to end it by notifying the marketer.- Overview :The general concept...

 campaign, encouraging consumers to include the latest volume of the encyclopedia on their shopping list
Shopping list
A shopping list is a list of items needed to be purchased by a shopper. Consumers often compile a shopping list of groceries to purchase on the next visit to the grocery store. The list may be compiled immediately before the shopping trip or incrementally as shopping needs arise throughout the...

s. Grocery stores in the 1970s in the midwest (Chicago – Jewel Grocers) typically kept about 4 volumes in a rotation, dropping the last and adding the latest until all volumes could be acquired with the initial first volume being 99 cents. The first several volumes were gold painted along the edges and the later volumes were not. These volumes typically were $2.99 and then toward the later volumes had gone up in price with inflation of the 1970s. If you did not go shopping on a weekly basis, or delivery was spotty, there was a good chance that a volume might be missed to complete the set.

In 1965, Funk & Wagnalls Co. was sold to Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...

. In 1971 now Funk and Wagnalls Incorporated (as opposed to Company) was sold to Dun & Bradstreet
Dun & Bradstreet
Dun & Bradstreet is a Fortune 500 public company headquartered in Short Hills, New Jersey, USA that provides information on businesses and corporations for use in credit decisions, B2B marketing and supply chain management...

. Dun and Bradstreet retained Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, but other reference works were relinquished to other publishers.

In 1984, Dun & Bradstreet
Dun & Bradstreet
Dun & Bradstreet is a Fortune 500 public company headquartered in Short Hills, New Jersey, USA that provides information on businesses and corporations for use in credit decisions, B2B marketing and supply chain management...

 sold Funk & Wagnalls Inc. to a group of Funk & Wagnalls executives, who in turn sold it to Field Corporation
Field Enterprises
Field Enterprises was a private holding company founded on August 31, 1944, by Marshall Field III and others whose main asset was the Chicago Sun. That same year the company acquired the book publishers Simon & Schuster and Pocket Books....

 in 1988.

In 1991, the company was sold to K-III Holdings, Inc, and then in 1993 Funk & Wagnalls Corporation acquired the World Almanac
World Almanac
In 1993 Scripps sold the Almanac to K-III .The World Almanac was sold to Ripplewood Holdings' WRC Media in 1999. Ripplewood bought Reader's Digest and the book was then produced by the World Almanac Education Group, which was owned by The Reader's Digest Association...

.

In 1998, as part of the Information division of Primedia Inc.
Primedia
PRIMEDIA Inc. is privately held American media company fully owned by TPG Capital.Consumer Source Inc. is the sole operating division of PRIMEDIA and helps millions of consumers find apartments, houses for rent, and new homes for sale through its Internet, mobile, and print products...

 (the renamed K-III), the encyclopedia content appeared on the web site "funkandwagnalls.com". This short-lived venture was shut down in 2001.

The encyclopedia exists today only as an electronic reference, Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, provided to educational institutions by the World Almanac Education Group
World Almanac
In 1993 Scripps sold the Almanac to K-III .The World Almanac was sold to Ripplewood Holdings' WRC Media in 1999. Ripplewood bought Reader's Digest and the book was then produced by the World Almanac Education Group, which was owned by The Reader's Digest Association...

.

Ripplewood Holdings
Ripplewood Holdings
Ripplewood is an American private equity firm based in New York, New York that focuses on leveraged buyouts, late stage venture, growth capital, management buyouts, leveraged recapitalizations and other illiquid investments....

 bought Primedia
Primedia
PRIMEDIA Inc. is privately held American media company fully owned by TPG Capital.Consumer Source Inc. is the sole operating division of PRIMEDIA and helps millions of consumers find apartments, houses for rent, and new homes for sale through its Internet, mobile, and print products...

's education division in 1999, which became part of Reader's Digest Association in 2007. RDA has ceased using the brand.

After failing to purchase rights to use of the text of the Encyclopaedia Britannica and World Book Encyclopedia
World Book Encyclopedia
The World Book Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia published in the United States. It is self-described as "the number-one selling print encyclopedia in the world." The encyclopedia is designed to cover major areas of knowledge uniformly, but it shows particular strength in scientific, technical, and...

 for its Encarta
Encarta
Microsoft Encarta was a digital multimedia encyclopedia published by Microsoft Corporation from 1993 to 2009. , the complete English version, Encarta Premium, consisted of more than 62,000 articles, numerous photos and illustrations, music clips, videos, interactive contents, timelines, maps and...

 digital encyclopedia, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

 reluctantly used under license the text of Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedia for the first editions of their encyclopedia. This licensed text was gradually replaced over the following years with content Microsoft created itself.

Popular culture

In the late 1960s through the early 1970s, Funk and Wagnalls became part of one of the iconic jokes on the ground-breaking show Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, where a frequently-made reference was "Go look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls", a play on the perceived profanity
Fuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...

 in the word Funk.

Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...

's Carnac the Magnificent
Carnac the Magnificent
Carnac the Magnificent was a recurring comedic role played by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. One of Carson's most well known characters, Carnac was a "mystic from the east" who could psychically "divine" unseen answers to unknown questions...

 sketches on The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...

 frequently made reference to the 'answers' being hidden from Carnac as "These envelopes have been hermetically sealed. They've been kept in a mayonnaise jar on Funk & Wagnalls' porch since noon today."

In the South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...

 episode "Cancelled
Cancelled (South Park)
"Cancelled" is the season 7 premiere episode and the overall 97th episode, although intended to be the 100th, of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on March 19, 2003.- Plot :...

", Cartman
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman is a fictional character in the American animated television series South Park. One of four main characters, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, he is generally referred to within the series by his last name...

 asks: "What the Funk and Wagnalls are you talking about?"

In the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....

 1979 episode "Planet of the Slave Girls", Buck
Gil Gerard
Gilbert C. "Gil" Gerard is an American actor. He is most famous for his role as Captain William "Buck" Rogers in the 1979-1981 television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.-Early life:...

 argues with fellow pilot Major Duke Danton
David Groh
David Lawrence Groh was an American actor best known for his portrayal of Joe Gerard in the 1970s television series Rhoda, opposite Valerie Harper.-Early life and career:...

 in-flight: "If you call that interference, there's something wrong with your Funk & Wagnalls." Danton, unaware of the centuries-old origin of the statement, replies: "I don't know what you mean by that, but how'd you like to repeat that in the flight hangar?"

In The West Wing, White House Press Secretary C.J. Cregg says "Thank you, Funk & Wagnall's." in a Season 1 episode in reference to a comment by Toby Ziegler
Toby Ziegler
Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...

 that "Direction and track are two different words."

In the Venture Brothers episode "Pomp & Circuitry", the subliminal education that Hank and Dean have been receiving from their sleeping pods is derided by Master Billy Quizboy with the line: "But the stuff those beds have been teaching them is more dated than Funk & Wagnall's!"

Publications

  • 18?? – The Preacher's Homiletic Commentary on the Old Testament
  • 18?? – The Preacher's Homiletic Commentary on the New Testament
  • 1890 – The Literary Digest
  • 1894 – The Standard Dictionary of the English Language
  • 1909 – Standard Bible Dictionary
  • 1912 – Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia
  • 1927 – The World's One Hundred Best Short Stories (Ten Volumes)
  • 1929 - Pocket Library of the World's Essential Knwledge (Ten Volumes)
  • 1929 – The World's 1000 Best Poems (Ten Volumes)
  • 1936 – A New Standard Bible Dictionary
  • 1949/50 – Funk & Wagnalls standard dictionary of folklore, mythology and legend, 2 volumes. (A one-volume edition with minor revisions was released in 1972)
  • 1957 – The Fashion Dictionary
  • 19?? – Funk & Wagnalls standard handbook of synonyms, antonyms, and prepositions
  • 1971 – Standard Dictionary of the English Language (International Edition)
  • 19?? – Poetry handbook; a dictionary of terms
  • 1971 – Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia
  • 1973 – Funk & Wagnalls Guide to modern world literature
  • 1974 – Funk & Wagnalls Wildlife Encyclopedia
  • 1986 – Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia of Science
  • 19?? – The New Funk & Wagnalls Illustrated Wildlife Encyclopedia
  • 19?? – Funk & Wagnalls world atlas
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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