Publication: 1971 (Bicentennial Facsimile; some later printings were also issued from the same plates). The set faithfully reproduces the original 1768–1771 First Edition, including the original typography, fold-out tables, copperplate engravings, and even the natural foxing present in the source copy.  

Binding: Brown leatherette (faux leather) with gilt spine lettering.

Condition: Near New. All three volumes appear unread. Bindings are tight and square. Covers are exceptionally clean with bright gilt lettering. Pages are crisp and unmarked. Small rubbed blemish on one back cover as shown

A beautiful complete three-volume facsimile of the historic First Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, originally published in Edinburgh between 1768 and 1771. Produced by Encyclopaedia Britannica to commemorate the bicentennial of the original publication, this edition is an exceptionally faithful reproduction, including all 160 engraved copperplate illustrations, fold-out plates, tables, original typography, and even the slight foxing present in the eighteenth-century source volumes.  

Edited by William Smellie and published by Andrew Bell and Colin Macfarquhar, the First Edition of the Britannica is widely regarded as one of the most significant milestones in the history of publishing and reference works. The original set established the model for the modern encyclopedia and remains a landmark achievement of the Scottish Enlightenment.