Como
2 of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Como. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a city of Lombardy, northern Italy; at the S. W. extremity of the Lake of Como, 30 miles N. of Milan by rail. The city is surrounded by old walls flanked with towers, the gateways by which the walls are pierced being fine specimens of medieval military architecture. Among the principal buildings of Como are the cathedral (1396-1732), and the town hall, built of marble, dating from the beginning of the 13th century. The chief articles of manufacture are silk, gloves, and soap. Como, the ancient Comum, was the birthplace of Cæcilius Statius, the two Plinys, of several popes, and of the physicist Vo Volta. In 1107 it began to war with Milan, and in the course of 20 years was utterly destroyed by its antagonist. st. As an important headquarters of the Ghibelline party, y, it was rebuilt in 1158 by Frederick Barbarossa, and remained a republic for two centuries, when it fell into the hands of the Viscontis, its history since that time being bound up with that of Milan. Pop., commune, about 50,000. COMO LAKE (anciently Lacus Larius), a lake in the N. of Italy, at the foot of the Alps; fed and drained by the river Adda, which carries its surplus waters to the Po. It extends from S. W. to N. E., 30 miles, giving off toward the middle, at the promontory where stands Bellaggio, a branch running for about 13 miles S. E. to Lecco, called the Lake of Lecco; greatest width two and a half miles, greatest depth 1929 feet. It is celebrated for the beautiful scenery of its shores.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a lake, a province, and a city in Lombardy at the Italian foot of the Alps. The province is the traditional headquarters of the Italian peddler of small wares. Lake Como is one of the most beautiful in Italy. It is sixteen miles in length and about two and one-half in width. It lies 700 feet above the level of the sea, nearly 200 feet above Milan. It is surrounded by mountains from 3,000 to 7,000 feet high, and is bordered by delightful driveways and country seats. Lake Como trout are celebrated for their flavor. The population of the entire commune, including the city, is about 25,000.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
The city Collier's described in 1921 as living by "silk, gloves, and soap" now has about 84,000 residents rather than 50,000, and while Como is still Italy's silk capital in name — with a silk museum and a handful of surviving weavers and printers — the trade employs a fraction of the workforce that tourism does. Two landmarks the accounts could not mention arrived soon after: the Volta Temple, built on the lakeshore in 1927 for the centenary of the physicist's death, and Giuseppe Terragni's Casa del Fascio of 1936, now a touchstone of Italian Rationalist architecture. Lake Como itself has become an international luxury destination, its villa-lined shores drawing enough visitors that crowding and short-term rentals are now a live local grievance. Modern soundings also trim Collier's figures: the lake's greatest depth is about 410 metres, roughly 1,340 feet, not the 1,929 feet given there, though its 30-mile length is nearer the mark than Aiton's sixteen.
Written for this edition, 2026.