Simon & Schuster Interactive Enters the PC Encyclopedia Market

Posted on February 22, 1999

Simon & Schuster Interactive announced it has shipped the first of its updateable CD-ROM encyclopedia -- the Simon & Schuster New Millennium Encyclopedia and Home Reference Library. Utilizing a search engine developed by Versaware Technologies Inc., the encyclopedia gives consumers a computer library that links information from eight reference works with an encyclopedia.

"We're very excited to enter this competitive market," said Gilles Dana, senior vice president and publisher of Simon & Schuster New Media. "The New Millennium line of encyclopedias will provide consumers high-quality reference works that will never be outdated at a low cost."

The Sencyclopedia comes with the following reference works as a starter kit for the Virtual Home Reference Library: -- Webster's College Dictionary, Webster's College Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster Biographical Dictionary, Webster's Quotationary, Webster's English Language Desk Reference, The 1998 World Almanac and Book of Facts, Simon & Schuster World Atlas and NASA Chronicles. Consumers search through all eight reference works using the Versaware search engine.

Consumers can expand and update their Virtual Library seamlessly by downloading "virtual books" through the Versabook Library Builder. Through a connection to the Internet, consumers can purchase additional reference titles digitally, and integrate them into their existing home reference library. Future Virtual Books will include medical, sports, children's, and other topics that will be available.