World Book Encyclopedia: Last English Encyclopedia in Print

Wow, $1200 for the 2023 set, or just $600 for the 2021 set. [0]

I'd like to have a set, but I'm not sure I want to pay over a grand for one. $600 seems reasonable, but then it's a matter of not getting the latest and greatest, even though at some point I have to be okay with that unless I'm buying a new set every year.

I wonder what kind of intervals encyclopedias used to be published at, additionally, what year should one buy the World Book Encyclopedia? For example, I feel like the conflicts and economic situations around the world that started relatively-recently will be cumulatively be a major event in world history, so I might as well wait for the dust to settle and let people piece things together before buying a book about it.

[0] https://www.worldbook.com/worldbookencyclopedia2023