I have a ginormous Webster’s Dictionary that must have been printed around 1940-41 as one of the new words was Blitzkrieg. This thing weighs about 25 punds and has 50 million pages for each letter of the alphabet. I still use it. It is in itself an enclycopedia of knowledge. If one wants to know a word, then this is th book. My grandfather bought the dang thing back in the day. It is not only an heirloom, but a repository of language and culture. I treasure that dictionary.
As with your mother’s Funk and Wagonall’s...Probably was an excellent set to provide a brief description of all knowledge worth knowing... The printed word is wonderfull. Once you have knowledge, they can’t take it away....that’s why the internet is a beautiful and horrendous thing at the same time. It is constantly being edited to reflect mores of the moment. A printed book stands forever.
I, too, have one, the electronic version that I downloaded to my computer. Doesn’t weigh anything, is really accessible, and takes up no bookshelf space.
Thank God for Amazon. It’s kept me from being driven out of my house by the Book of the Month Club, etc. But then, there’s also the Gun of the Month Club and the ammo . . .