One of my goto's for American History is my 1890's edition , 'Queen of Republics, Qr, A Standard History of the United States', a treasure I picked up haunting used book shops in NYC in the early sixties. Doesn't take up quite as much space as your Encyclopaedia Britannica but I 'd feel as sad giving it up as you over your 1885 Britannica.
One of my goto's for American History is my 1890's edition , 'Queen of Republics, Qr, A Standard History of the United States', a treasure I picked up haunting used book shops in NYC in the early sixties. Doesn't take up quite as much space as your Encyclopaedia Britannica but I 'd feel as sad giving it up as you over your 1885 Britannica.