Pears' Cyclopaedia is a one volume encyclopaedia, continuously published in the United Kingdom since December 1897. Lillie Langtry became the first woman to endorse a commercial product, when her famous ivory complexion gained her a contract to advertise Pears soap. Her fee was related to her weight, so it was said that she was paid " pound for pound". In the age of the internet, Pears' has continued to be a uniquely British almanac, reaching readers across generations. It is with great sadness that we stop publishing it as Dr Cook retires but we celebrate his dedication and generosity over the past four decades." Pears soap is now made in India by Hindustan Unilever, a company in which Unilever now has a 67 percent share. Sam Leith wrote in The Times Literary Supplement: "Now, rendered quite redundant in that respect by Wikipedia (among many, many other things), Pears ' is more a curiosity than a serious reference resource." But he continues: "You’re more likely, as I did, to open this Cyclopaedia to see whether something’s in it than in the hopes of finding out about that something. Which said, on that level it is full of interest. To the very great credit of Dr. Chris Cook, who has been annually (and manually) updating the Cyclopaedia since 1977, it has done a semi-successful job of its madly quixotic project of keeping up with the times." [9]

makes their ethical decisions based on reason, empathy, and a concern for human beings and other sentient animals

Jones, Geoffrey (2010). Beauty Imagined: A History of the Global Beauty Industry. Oxford University Press. p.81. Beginning with 2003, a British company called Cert Brands took charge of the marketing and distribution of Pears soap. [11] [12] Gallery [ edit ] In the age of the internet, Pears' has continued to be a uniquely British almanac, reaching readers across generations. It is with great sadness that we stop publishing it as Dr. Cook retires but we celebrate his dedication and generosity over the past four decades. [7]

OK, I've never actually used this information but if I ever do get invited to appear on the Antiques Roadshow and someone comes in with some 18th-century German porcelain I won't be left floundering.

Humanism is an approach to life that is found throughout time and across the world in many different cultures. You can find out more about what humanists think and believe under Humanism Today, and more about how humanism has developed over time under The Humanist Tradition. Reflecting on his retirement and what he would miss about Pears', Dr Cook said:"I’ve had a very large amount of mail over time, from all over the world – I am grateful to those who have been contributors through letters informing me of things they think should be in the next edition of Pears."

The centre of the book is an atlas with a huge index which even lists the position and populations of small villages. There are sections on economic events and political institutions (including recent UK parliamentary statistics); and an encyclopaedia of general knowledge, plus science in the form of chemistry, medicine, computers, and the environment. Ideas and beliefs cover the major world philosophies, and the myths and legends get a section of their own, as does a Biblical glossary.During production at Port Sunlight the glycerol (glycerine) content was a result of not removing that formed during the manufacturing process. The Sporting Compendium was also useful in settling arguments at school over who won the FA Cup in 1946 (it was Derby County) and the Derby in 1968 (Sir Ivor). We also hope to give greater confidence to people whose beliefs are humanist by offering resources here and elsewhere that can develop their knowledge of humanist approaches to some of the big ethical, philosophical and existential questions in life. Defining humanism On 6 January 2010, after a Facebook campaign, it was reported in the media that Pears planned to abandon the new formula and that by March 2010 a new version would be available that is "much closer to the original". [17] On 8 January 2010, it was reported in the media that Pears would not abandon the new formula but "make further improvements, by delivering a scent that more closely resembles" the original formula. [18] 2016 relaunch [ edit ]