Similar thing here. Years later I purchased a used Encyclopedia Brittanica to see if it could bring some of that magic back. It didn't work, I didn't really engage with the articles in the same way. I think the World Book editors encouraged some kind of writing that was more engaging to grade school/teenage me. The set is still in my parents' house, but I'm scared that the spell might break if I open it again now.
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Encyclopaedia Britannica
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THE WORD OF MOUTH
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