As mentioned, all this week, and probably next, this Blast From the Past section will be revisiting the 1970s edition of the Compton Encyclopedia, with which I grew up and which are still in my old bedroom. Some of the differences are stylistic, such as yesterday’s fulsome, almost devotional, entry for Christmas. Some other differences are demographic, such as the following entry.
“Baltimore, Md. The sixth largest city in the United States is Baltimore. Its location near Mason and Dixon’s line makes it a ‘border city.’ Along the waterfront is a busy area of factories, warehouses, railroads and docks. Here it is easy to realize that this is one of the nation’s leading ports and industrial centers. A few blocks north, in the quiet dignity of Mount Vernon Place, one becomes aware pf Baltimore’s historic past and its deeply rooted ties to the ‘old South.’”
