Today, 8 November 2012, the SF Encyclopedia reached and passed the 3.8 million word mark. The 3,800,000th word was written by Contributing Editor Gary Westfahl, who wins a free lollipop. These round numbers may not mean anything in particular, but like the turn of a century or millennium it's a harmless excuse for celebration. If you feel inclined, please raise a glass.

Today we also celebrate the availability online of the almost 1.2 million words of The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997). This appears with the permission of its principal editors and authors John Clute and John Grant, to whom huge thanks. Please note that this isn't a new edition of the EoF, although it does include a great many corrections, restorations of last-minute cuts from the book, and minor updates.  Now, whenever an SF Encyclopedia entry rather annoyingly refers you to an Encyclopedia of Fantasy term or theme, you can follow the link at the bottom of the SFE entry and read what its sister volume has to say.

• The Encyclopedia of Fantasy