After printing the hardback reference guide for 244 years, Encyclopaedia Britannica will stop publishing its 32-volume print edition.

The digital edition will continue, and the publisher is offering free access to the subscription service for the next week. President Jorge Cauz wrote a message for customers:

I understand that for some the end of the Britannica print set may be perceived as an unwelcomed goodbye to a dear, reliable, and trustworthy friend that brought them the joy of discovery in the quest for knowledge. I would like to take this opportunity to share with them a different perspective, one shared by all of us at Encyclopaedia Britannica and by the more than 100 million students and knowledge seekers who have access to www.britannica.com, our educational sites, or our apps. By concentrating our efforts on our digital properties, we can continuously update our content and further expand the number of topics and the depth with which they are treated without the space constraints of the print set.