In 1938 the editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica produced the first Book of the Year, covering events of 1937.  Published in an A to Z format, the book detailed events, people and places of interest from around the world.  It was a biographical index, a multi-national obituary, an expanded world almanac, a sporting events update, and an editorial review all rolled up into one excellent piece of timely writing.  The following is from the introduction to the 1938 book:

The Britannica Book of the Year bridges the gap between editions.  It answers demands on the part of the public for an authoritative handbook recording what has happened in a single year.  It consolidates and summarizes the significant facts, whether statistical or historical, of the year.  And, most important, it keeps up to date the sets of the Britannica in the hands of the public.

Following the great tradition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, this Book of the Year has been written by scholars, scientists, experts, and men of affairs.  A glance at the pages immediately following, bearing the names of the principal writers for this volume, will show at once that the Britannica Book of the Year is, in scholarship and authority, of the same high standing as the Encyclopaedia Britannica.  In actuality, it would seem that no other single volume has ever enjoyed the co-operation of so many men and women of distinguished reputation.  Practically every article is signed.

Believing in the importance of pictures, the editors have insisted on lavish illustration at all points where illustration is useful.  The whole field of contemporary photography has been searched in order to obtain the photographs which best illustrate the events and personages of the year.

The Britannica Book of the Year is not intended solely for those who own the Encylopaedia Britannica.  It is intended for all those - expert and layman alike - who seek accurate present day facts and statistics, and an authoritative and reliable account of what happened in the year preceding its publication.

The format stayed pretty much the same until 1981, when the international almanac material was pulled out of the alphabetized arrangement and placed at the rear of the book on colored pages to make it easier to locate.  Illustrations began being printed in color rather than black and white only.  Even though Britannica is no longer sold in home, subscriptions to the Book of the Year are still being placed.  I myself have the entire set from 1938 to 2006.  As a writer, I wouldn't be without them.

Why, you might ask, would anyone be interested in owning these books?  I'm sure the answers to that question would be as varied as the subjects contained within the covers of each Book of the Year.  As stated, I'm a writer, and I couldn't think of a better set of reference material than that contained in these yearbooks.  Each article is written from the point of view of someone living during the time in question.  How better to understand the impact of the Cold War, for instance, than by reading articles written during the height of its grip on America?

Writing requires voluminous detail, no matter if you are writing fiction or non-fiction.  Each yearbook covers music, sporting events, a yearly calendar of events, listings of disasters, hourly wages by industry, popular songs, top movie and television shows, biographies and obituaries of prominent people of the day, drawings and illustrations from the likes of Life Magazine and newspapers from around the world, statistics concerning every country and major city on the planet, and feature articles covering important occurrences happening around the globe.  All of this information in one volume for the particular year being researched - an excellent time saver.

Writer's block is something that hits every writer from time to time.  The Britannica Book of the Year helps to suppress this.  It's a simple thing to pick out a volume and page through it, looking for interesting material to write about.

For example, in the 1952 Britannica Book of the Year, under the heading of Hotels, there's an interesting notation concerning a Children's Hotel started in London, England, in 1951.  It had accommodations for 40 children ranging in age from infancy to eight years old.  Bookings for guests ranged from one night stays to as much as three years.  Now this is a tidbit that would make an interesting article or even a fiction story about a family forced to utilize this facility.

The nice thing is that these yearbooks can be purchased for as little as 98 cents to about 10 dollars here on eBay.  Shipping usually runs about 4 dollars using USPS Media Mail.  I've seen ten to twenty yearbooks offered for only 1 dollar plus shipping.  At these prices it's possible to collect them all for a reasonable amount.  The early years, 1938 through 1946 are a bit more expensive because they cover the years up to and including the Second World War.  These books usually sell for between 10 to 20 dollars each.

In 1969, Britannica began issuing a yearly Science and the Future Yearbook.  These books contain about 10 to 12 excellent in depth articles, laced with color photographs, charts and graphs, along with an alphabetized section covering everything new in the field of science during the previous year.  Starting in 1977, Britannica also began issuing a Medical and Health Yearbook, similar in content to the Science book but covering the field of Medicine.  These books are also worth collecting for their articles and photographs.

If you're looking for excellent low cost reference material, don't pass up the Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year when you see them offered.  Do a search on Britannica or Britannica 19XX for a specific yearbook.

Good hunting.