Word: britannica
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Tucked in a corner on the first floor of the Coop's book building, Connors and his Encyclopaedia Britannica display await fact-grubbing customers. The former history teacher has been inviting curious onlookers to sit down and talk reference books for more than thirteen years...
...like it very much," Connors says of his job. He says he takes pride in running the nation's only permanent Encyclopaedia Britannica display in a bookstore. On the job, Connors gets the opportunity to meet celebrities, business leaders and heads of state--and sell them encyclopedia sets...
...Whoopi Goldberg bought a set," recalls Connors. After coming to Harvard to receive the Hasty Pudding Club's Woman of the Year award, Goldberg stopped by the Coop and noticed the display. "She said, `Oh, Britannica! I wanted to get one for a long time,'" and Connors made the sale...
...basic Britannica set runs for $1,500, but most people buy the leather bound edition, which is $100 more. Britannica also markets hand-tooled leather editions that run as high as $10,000. "I've only sold a few of those," concedes Connors...
Foreigners are responsible for many of the Britannica sales at the Coop. The encyclopedia is world-famous, but is less accessible in other parts of the world. This year, Connors says he has sold 12 sets to German tourists and shipped sets to Turkey, Bangladesh and Mexico. He averages four to five sales per week and works strictly on commission...