The Great EB: the Story of the Encyclopaedia Britannica by Herman Kogan is a late 1950s history of Encyclopaedia Britannica at a time when it was still a powerful among reference materials. Before looking at the then-current state of affairs of the encyclopedia, it goes through its creation and previous editions and how the reference evolved over time.

Reading the book after EB has announced it will no longer print editions, opting to go completely online, puts a different perspective on the book. Rather than the fits and starts of starting up an empire, the book reads like an explanation of the current (online only) state of affairs.

In the early days, nearly every edition drained all the resources of the people creating it. It invariably ran late and over budget. Each edition was "the last" edition. And a few decades down the line, a new person would get the crazy ida to make another edition. ( )