P.F. Collier & Son completed the first edition of 'Collier's Encyclopedia' in New York City, United States. Marketed as a major contemporary alternative to Britannica and Americana, Collier's was specifically optimized for public school curriculums and university students. It achieved widespread success across North America by utilizing highly accessible prose, contemporary multi-color graphics, and a unique, comprehensive single-volume index that unified thousands of separate topics.

Collier's became a staple reference tool across mid-century American households, shaping the educational background of Confessional and Beat Generation poets. Its accessible summaries of global history and sociology provided ready facts for poets looking to anchor their personal lyrics within broad historical realities.