Warren E. Preece
Encyclopedia
Warren Eversleigh Preece (April 17, 1921 – April 11, 2007) was editor of Encyclopædia Britannica
from 1964 to 1975, during the development of "Britannica 3" (the 15th edition). This 28-volume edition separated the content into three parts, the Propædia
(Outline of Knowledge), Micropædia
(Ready Reference) and Macropædia
(Knowledge in Depth).
Preece was born in Norwalk, Connecticut
and educated at Dartmouth College
. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in 1943. After serving with the U.S. Army in the Philippines in World War II, he earned an M.A. degree from Columbia University
in 1947.
Before joining Britannica he worked as a newspaper reporter and copy editor, an English teacher, and public relations director for U.S. Senator Thomas Dodd of Connecticut.
In 1957 he was hired by William Benton, publisher of Britannica, as secretary to the board of editors. In 1964 he became editor of the encyclopedia. He held this position (with an interruption in 1968-69, the year of the Britannica's bicentennial
) until 1975, the year after the publication of the 15th edition. The 15th edition was a major change in the encyclopedia, and Preece was an important figure in its development. After his resignation as editor, he continued to serve as vice chairman of the board of editors until 1979.
He was coauthor of The Technological Order (1962) and a contributor to Britannica, notably on the topic of higher education. He was also associated with the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions
in Santa Barbara, California
.
He died on April 11, 2007 of heart failure in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
.
From Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
from 1964 to 1975, during the development of "Britannica 3" (the 15th edition). This 28-volume edition separated the content into three parts, the Propædia
Propædia
The one-volume Propædia is the first of three parts of the 15th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica, the other two being the 12-volume Micropædia and the 17-volume Macropædia. The Propædia is intended as a topical organization of the Britannica's contents, complementary to the alphabetical...
(Outline of Knowledge), Micropædia
Micropædia
The 12-volume Micropædia is one of the three parts of the 15th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica, the other two being the one-volume Propædia and the 17-volume Macropædia. The name Micropædia is a neologism coined by Mortimer J...
(Ready Reference) and Macropædia
Macropædia
The 17-volume Macropædia is the third part of the Encyclopædia Britannica; the other two parts are the 12-volume Micropædia and the 1-volume Propædia. The name Macropædia is a neologism coined by Mortimer J. Adler from the ancient Greek words for "large" and "instruction"; the best English...
(Knowledge in Depth).
Preece was born in Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
and educated at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in 1943. After serving with the U.S. Army in the Philippines in World War II, he earned an M.A. degree from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1947.
Before joining Britannica he worked as a newspaper reporter and copy editor, an English teacher, and public relations director for U.S. Senator Thomas Dodd of Connecticut.
In 1957 he was hired by William Benton, publisher of Britannica, as secretary to the board of editors. In 1964 he became editor of the encyclopedia. He held this position (with an interruption in 1968-69, the year of the Britannica's bicentennial
Bicentennial of the Encyclopædia Britannica
The first two pamphlets of the Encyclopædia Britannica were issued in December 1768, being sold from the printing office of its originator, Colin Macfarquhar, in Nicholson Street in Edinburgh...
) until 1975, the year after the publication of the 15th edition. The 15th edition was a major change in the encyclopedia, and Preece was an important figure in its development. After his resignation as editor, he continued to serve as vice chairman of the board of editors until 1979.
He was coauthor of The Technological Order (1962) and a contributor to Britannica, notably on the topic of higher education. He was also associated with the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions
Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions
The Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions in Santa Barbara, California was an important think tank from 1959 to 1977, declining in influence thereafter. The Center held discussions in a variety of areas that it hoped would influence public deliberation...
in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
.
He died on April 11, 2007 of heart failure in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
See also
- History of the Encyclopædia BritannicaHistory of the Encyclopædia BritannicaThe Encyclopædia Britannica has been published continuously since 1768, appearing in 15 official editions. Several editions have been amended with multi-volume "supplements" or undergone drastic re-organizations . In recent years, digital versions of the Britannica have been developed, both online...
- William Benton, owner of the Britannica through most of Preece's tenure
- Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
External links
From Encyclopædia Britannica Online.From Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
- Short biographical sketch of Warren Preece from the Donald C. Davidson LibraryDavidson LibraryThe University of California, Santa Barbara Library is the university library system of the University of California, Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, California. The Library include four facilities: Two libraries and two annexes...
, at the University of California, Santa BarbaraUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraThe University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
. - New York Times obituary