The 122nd edition of Pears', Britain's favourite encyclopaedia The quintessentially British bookshelf essential, Pears' Cyclopaedia continues to inform and intrigue generations of readers with its unique mix of solid facts and fascinating gems. Now in its 122nd year, this ultimate almanac offers clear and concise information on such wide-ranging subjects as global events, Norse mythology and modern cinema. Updated regularly by editor Chris Cook and his panel of experts, this handy and beautiful edition includes new entries for all major events from 2013-2014, a revised and expanded section on the history of the Bible, plus all the traditional favourites - from public figures and celebrities, through medical matters and classical mythology, to a gazetteer of the British Isles and the latest tax advice.

Pears’ Cyclopedia was first produced by the Queen’s soap-makers in 1897 on the occasion of Victoria’s diamond jubilee. It has been revised and updated every year since then, and is still going strong as what the publisher’s rightly claim as ‘the Swiss Army penknife of reference books.The ways our daily lives have changed can be seen in the fact that the 1929/30 and 1959/60 Pears' had sections on keeping poultry and pigeons but much later editions didn't. The 1929/30 Pears' gave us instruction in "a nice way to cook tripe" and how to make rabbit brawn, the 2017/18 edition provides an International Glossary Of Food.

The decision follows theretirement of its series editor, Dr Chris Cook, and heavily declining sales of the British almanac.The book has not been connected to Pears Soap since 1960, but it still keeps popular features from the early editions, including the medical section, the gazetteer, and sections on Science, Literature, Ideas and Beliefs, Historical Events and General Information.

He added:"I’ll find it difficult to not reach for a notepad and pen to write things down to include in the next edition, every time I read a newspaper." Following Barratt's death in April 1914, Lever Brothers took a major shareholding in A & F Pears. [9] The takeover process was completed in 1920 [10] and marketing and other secondary functions moved to Port Sunlight in north-west England, but production continued at Isleworth.

Defining humanism

The single most important factor in the Pears success story, and the key to its truly unique publishing phenomenon, is that it is the only book of its kind to be fully revised and updated by a team of experts every year. Pears' Cyclopaedia; Thomas J. Barrett; early 1900s; 12987 – Te Awamutu Museum". NZMuseums . Retrieved 29 July 2018.

Jones, Geoffrey (2010). Beauty Imagined: A History of the Global Beauty Industry. Oxford University Press. p.81. A. and F. Pears and Lever Brothers. The Times, Friday, Aug 14, 1914; pg. 2; Issue 40604. Category: Business and Finance He was first described as such in T F G Coates, 'Mr Thomas J Barratt, "The father of modern advertising"', Modern Business, September 1908, pp 107-15. makes their ethical decisions based on reason, empathy, and a concern for human beings and other sentient animals

Jeff Pope on Cilla

Francis Pears, The Skin, Baths, Bathing, and Soap. London, 1859. Google Books. Retrieved 12 March 2014.