Encyclopaedia

Today while going through "Reader's Digest" I had come across a guy who read the Encyclopaedia Brittanica completely. I thought only kids and immature idiots harbour such ideas. What's the point? He wanted to be most intelligent of all. Or is it most aware? How does one ensure that, he/she remembers all that he has read. Will he/she be able to utilise all the information one tried to cram into various folds of white matter.
Ofcourse there's no point critcizing every such super human effort. Atleast they aren't restless, listless like you and me, I mean 90% of humanity.