There was still some demand for the printed books, and apparently it was enough to generate some profit. They really are beautiful-looking books. You couldn't d

There was still some demand for the printed books, and apparently it was enough to generate some profit. They really are beautiful-looking books. You couldn't decorate your study with Encarta. On a related note, according to Wikipedia (!): "Microsoft had originally approached Encyclopædia Britannica, the gold standard of encyclopedias for over a century, in the 1980s, but it declined, believing its print media sales would be hurt; however, the Benton Foundation was forced to sell Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. at below book value in 1996 when the print sales could no longer compete with Encarta..." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encarta https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encarta