Funk & Wagnalls facts for kids

Funk & Wagnalls

Logo of Funk and Wagnalls from a 1922 edition of Hoyt's Cyclopedia of Quotations
Status	Defunct
Founded	1875
Founder	Isaac Kaufmann Funk
Successor	World Book
Country of origin	United States
Key people	George Alfred Hartley (key financial contributor)
Publication types	Reference works

Funk & Wagnalls was an American company that published many well-known reference books. They were famous for their reference works, especially dictionaries and encyclopedias. Some of their most famous works include A Standard Dictionary of the English Language, first published between 1893 and 1895. They also created the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia, which first came out in 1912.

Over the years, their encyclopedia changed names several times. It was called Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Encyclopedia in 1931. Later, it became the New Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia and the Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia. The last time this encyclopedia was printed was in 1997. However, even today, they still produce annual Yearbooks.

The company started in 1875 as I.K. Funk & Company. After two years, its name changed to Funk & Wagnalls Company. It later became Funk & Wagnalls Inc., and then Funk & Wagnalls Corporation.

Company History: From Books to Encyclopedias

Early Beginnings and New Partnerships

The company was founded in 1875 by Isaac Kaufmann Funk. He named it I.K. Funk & Company. In 1877, one of Funk's college friends, Adam Willis Wagnalls, joined the business. With Wagnalls as a partner, the company's name changed to Funk & Wagnalls Company.

Shifting Focus: From Religion to Reference

When the company first started, Funk & Wagnalls mainly published religious books. However, this changed around 1890. They began publishing a magazine called The Literary Digest. This marked a shift towards creating general reference books. They started making dictionaries and encyclopedias for everyone.

Creating Famous Reference Works

Funk & Wagnalls published The Standard Dictionary of the English Language in two parts, in 1893 and 1895. Later, in 1912, they released the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia. In 1913, they published the New Standard Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language. This dictionary was updated several times until 1943.

The Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedia was partly based on another famous set of books called Chambers's Encyclopaedia. The company used information from Chambers's to help create their own encyclopedia.

Leadership and New Imprints

Wilfred J. Funk, who was Isaac Funk's son, became the president of the company. He led Funk & Wagnalls from 1925 to 1940. In 1934, the company started a new publishing line called Literary Digest Books. They planned to release many titles each year under this new name.

Selling Encyclopedias in Supermarkets

In the 1950s, a company called Unicorn Press began selling the Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedia in a unique way. They sold it through supermarkets. This was part of a "continuity marketing" plan. Shoppers could buy one volume of the encyclopedia each week when they went grocery shopping.

The first volume was often very cheap, sometimes only 99 cents. Later volumes cost more, usually around $2.99. This allowed families to collect the entire set of encyclopedias over time. Sometimes, if you missed a week, it was hard to complete your set. They also sold a series of classical music records called Family Library Of Great Music in the same way.

Changes in Ownership Over the Years

Funk & Wagnalls changed owners several times throughout its history.

• In 1965, the company was sold to Reader's Digest.
• Then, in 1971, it was sold again to Dun & Bradstreet.
• In 1984, a group of Funk & Wagnalls executives bought the company.
• They then sold it to Field Corporation in 1988.
• In 1991, the company was sold to K-III Holdings, Inc.
• In 1993, Funk & Wagnalls Corporation bought World Almanac.

Digital Age and Final Acquisition

When Microsoft was creating its digital encyclopedia, Encarta, they first used the text from the Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedia. They had a license to use it. Over time, Microsoft replaced this text with their own content.

In 1998, the Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedia content was put online on a website called "funkandwagnalls.com". However, this website did not last long and was shut down in 2001.

Finally, in 2009, Funk & Wagnalls was acquired by World Book Encyclopedia.