Wikipedia, the collaborative online reference source that allows users to create or modify information pages about a multitude of subjects, will soon be printed as a book set for publication in Germany. According to an Ars Technica report, the media company Bertelsmann, which also owns Random House, will be printing a “stripped-down” version of the online resource in order to appeal to a new audience.
Ars Technica also notes the apparent contradiction of a printed version of Wikipedia, considering the basis of the site is that it’s an editable wiki, something that isn’t possible in book form. “Publishing the complete content of Wikipedia in paper would seem a strange decision; after all, this means that the key advantages of the online version are lost (hyperlinks, search) and the cornerstone of the project (editing) is unavailable.”
