Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia

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The GME originated from the Academic American Encyclopedia CD-ROM, which became available in 1985. It was the first encyclopedia to be published electronically, and was based on the 21-volume print encyclopedia of the same name. The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia first appeared in 1992. Over time, pictures, maps, sound files, video files, interactive features, and Internet links were added. Updated quarterly, the multimedia compact disc increasingly diverged from the print set and eventually became a completely independent product. The 2003 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia is the latest and perhaps final edition available on CD.

Other multimedia encyclopedias appeared after Academic American's. Most notably, Compton's Encyclopedia in 1992 and Encarta in 1993.