In the German Empire, owning a Konversationslexikon, a general encyclopedia, carried high social status, and wide sections of the population wanted one. The Brockhaus was one of them. Its publisher, Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus, bought the rights to an existing encyclopedia at the Leipzig Book Fair in 1808. The last printed edition, the 21st, appeared in 30 volumes in 2005 and 2006. The complete set cost 2,820 euros. Sales of the printed Brockhaus ended on 30 June 2014.