Partwork

Issues are typically released on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis, and often a completed set is designed to form a reference work on a particular topic.

An example is the multi-volume Illustrated Science and Invention Encyclopedia which was created with material first published in the How It Works partwork.

Between 1728 and 1732, Nicolas Tindal's English translation of Paul de Rapin's L'Histoire d'Angleterre (The History of England) was issued by a London printer in monthly parts.

A rival printer then tried to compete by selling another translation of de Rapin's work in weekly, six-penny installments.

Examples of other models that cost over £400 to produce are cited, and some subscribers complain they have parts missing that they are unable to replace.

[1] Conversely, the total cost of a partwork (often cited as in excess of £600) is used as a marketing tool by publishers and distributors seeking to encourage retailers to stock their items.