A twenty-one volume encyclopedia set published by Lexicon Publications, Inc. in New York. The set covers a wide range of topics and is issued with alphabetic volumes (e.g., volume 18 Sne-Sz). The edition seen in the photos appears to be the early 1980s 21-volume hardcover set, which is also listed in catalogs as an Lexicon Publications edition sold under the title Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia and sometimes as Academic American Encyclopedia in later imprints.