World Book Introduces Mandarin-language World Book Encyclopedia: Published by Hainan Publishing House, the 20-volume World Book set provides Mandarin-language students with a leading resource to explore their world; extends World Book's worldwide reach as an essential learning tool.

World Book, Inc. today announced the global launch of the Mandarin-language World Book Encyclopedia. The 20-volume edition, published by Hainan Publishing House, Haikou, China, is available to schools, libraries, and families in China as well as Mandarin speakers worldwide.

CHICAGO & BEIJING (BusinessWire EON) May 18, 2007 -- World Book, Inc. today announced the global launch of the Mandarin-language World Book Encyclopedia. The 20-volume edition, published by Hainan Publishing House, Haikou, China, is available to schools, libraries, and families in China as well as Mandarin speakers worldwide.

Just as World Book has become an essential learning tool in North America and across the globe over the past 90 years, we expect it to become an important resource in helping Mandarin-speaking students further explore their world

“China is a very fast-growing market and Mandarin is spoken by more than one billion people around the world. We’re pleased to work with Hainan Publishing to be able to provide readers and learners of Mandarin with an authoritative, balanced, and understandable encyclopedia,” said Paul Gazzolo, president of World Book, at the official unveiling ceremony for the Mandarin-language World Book Encyclopedia in Beijing, where he was joined by Yuan Dachuan, head of Hainan Publishing House, and Dick Dell, World Book’s director of international rights and licensing.

“Just as World Book has become an essential learning tool in North America and across the globe over the past 90 years, we expect it to become an important resource in helping Mandarin-speaking students further explore their world,” Gazzolo said.

The Mandarin-language set is the result of a cooperative editorial effort between World Book and the Hainan Publishing House. A Chinese editorial staff working in Beijing and in Changsha, the capital of China’s Hunan province, translated more than 17,000 articles from the English-language World Book Encyclopedia. The Mandarin-language edition also features more than 27,500 photos and illustrations, along with three forms of indexing: English, Mandarin, and bilingual for readers of both languages.

The Mandarin-language World Book Encyclopedia joins three existing foreign-language World Book Encyclopedia editions: a Korean-language edition, published by Woongjin Publishing, Seoul, South Korea; an Arabic-language edition, published by Encyclopedia Works Cultural Publishing Company, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and a Malaysian-language edition, published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Other World Book titles are published in more than 16 languages around the world.

Ordering and Availability

Hainan Publishing House (http://www.hnbook.com) is the exclusive distributor of the Mandarin-language World Book Encyclopedia in China. In the rest of the world, schools and libraries interested in the Mandarin-language World Book Encyclopedia can contact their World Book sales representative.

About World Book

Celebrating the 90^th anniversary of the first edition of The World Book Encyclopedia, World Book, Inc. sets the standard in publishing accurate, current, and reliable reference and learning materials for children and adults. Based in Chicago, Ill., World Book is committed to creating learning materials that meet the highest standards of editorial excellence while leveraging the advantages of online delivery. This commitment has culminated in a wide range of products which include the number-one selling The World Book Encyclopedia, and such leading digital products as the World Book Online Reference Center and World Book Kids. World Book is a Scott Fetzer company, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.