The rights to which book, begun in 1768 by William Smellie and completed in 1771 and continually revised, were bought by Sears, Roebuck of Chicago, Illinois, USA in 1920?
History of the Encyclopædia Britannica This is mainly due to the increase in population of, and sales in, the United States, which were mere colonies with low population when Britannica started out in 1768. The poor sales of the war years brought the "Britannica" to the brink of bankruptcy. The CEO of Sears Roebuck, philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, was devoted to the mission of the "Britannica" and bought its rights on 24 February 1920 from his friend Horace Everett Hooper for $1.25 million. The "Britannica's" headquarters were moved to Chicago, where they have remained. In 1922, a 3-volume supplement to the eleventh edition was released that
Sears, Roebuck and Company Complex Sears, Roebuck and Company Complex The Sears, Roebuck and Company Complex on the west side of Chicago, Illinois is where Sears, Roebuck conducted the bulk of its mail order operations between 1906 and 1993. It also served as the corporate headquarters until 1973, when the Sears Tower was completed. Of its original complex, only three buildings now survive, and have been adaptively rehabilitated to other uses. The complex was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978, at which time it still included the 3-million square foot mail order plant, the world's largest commercial building when it was completed. That building