Dictionary Reviews

I purchased this book when it was first published over a dozen years ago and still refer to it several times a week. Not only is it comprehensive but Tim Brooks often gives short biographies of the stars, listing other shows and related areas for which a particular actor or actress might have been known. I'm sorry that it is currently out of print because I would like to have an updated version of the book.

This review refers to the original volume that I have sitting by my TV. In these days with cable and satellite available many vintage TV shows are aired all of the time. A quick thumb through the book not only gives excellent overall view of the show but the cross reference of stars and other shows is suburb.

I have used this book since I "found" a copy on book stand in NYC back in the 80s. Worth the purchase price.I use it all the time. The 1992 version should be better.

This is the favorite French textbook I have ever had and I have been studying French for um... 6 or 7 years. It is well-written and easy to understand. The chapters are well-organized and I think the best part is how the authors explain verbs and verb conjugations... there are so many ways, ugh! However, there is a new 7th edition out now, so if you need this textbook for a class check to see which edition you need before you buy this textbook. Also, this book is geared toward beginning students so it may not be too helpful if you already know a fair amount of French.

I am using Contacts, 7th ed., along with the workbook/lab manual. I also purchased the CD set, which contained 14 CD's with about 40 minutes on each. I have enjoyed these materials immensely. Since I am studying on my own, the CDs have been a key part of my training. This book covers the equivalent of two semesters of college French. The pages are colorful, with many descriptions of contemporary French life. For those who are using it in a classroom setting, many of the exercises creatively get partners to have dialogues. I highly recommend it for self-study, study with a partner or in a classroom.

From the moment I married a French woman, the need to actually speak the language became obvious...easier said than done. After flailing about with inferior texts for about two years, I finally happened on Valette et Valette's Contacts. True to the title, they skillfully prepare a cocktail of language instruction and cultural information - which entice the learner through a difficult subject. I would recommend it without hesitation; in fact, I am in the process of ordering a new hardback to replace my current edition (which now resembles a pack of cards).

Oh, what a great read. They certainly don't write them like this any more. I certainly enjoyed the climax at the end of act 1. There is absolutely nothing I can criticise about this gem of a book. Before I read this book I was a bit of a loner, but now I live life to the full. Thankyou Friedrich!

I have also studied this book and I was so amazed by the sexual tension and excitement created by the characters. I would recommend it to anyone!

I have studied this book with great interest as part of my further education studies in the German language. I was thrilled by the use of dramatic irony and symbolism to portray the many themes and morals throughout the play. This book was a ray of light in my otherwise dull life.

I have a fairly minimal background in graphic design, except for a two week class I took when I was 12 (I'm 24 now). Other than that, I'm just computer literate and I learn things quickly. This book gave me a wealth of knowledge in an easy to digest form- Running into terms in your Adobe help files that you don't recognize? Get out the lexicon. Talking to a printer and you don't want to sound like an idiot? Get out the lexicon. Everyone from beginners to pros should have this book. The definitions are simple but precise, with examples of the more difficult terms to make them easier to understand. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.

Have you read about the story of a designer who went for an interview with a design company and was not considered because they didn't know terms such as "gutter" or the difference between "seriff" and "sans-seriff".

Sure, many of us should know those terms but if you are an individual who wants to continue to learning these terms that printers or professionals tend to use and you are asking yourself in yourself "what the heck are they talking about?". Sure, no one will blame you if you were nodding off in your graphic design class or didn't really read that chapter on print terminology or just plainly forgotten the terms but the thing is, if you really want that job, don't want to look ignorant in front of certain people or if you don't want to continually badger that professional, printer or broker of terminology, then "the designer's LEXICON" is the book that you will find quite helpful.

The book is broken down to chapters for terms such as:

·Computer Terms
·Internet Terms
·Photography Terms
·Typography Terms
·Prepress Terms
·Paper Terms
·Printing Terms
·Finishing Terms
·General Terms

And to find these words, you are provided with a word finder which helps finding that word in a jiffy.

You know paper but you are asked by a client about satin laid paper, a printer wants you to ad a bleed, a designer asks you about glyphs or asks you about a pica size for print where you usually are working more with pixels, it's important to know these words and it's good to have a book that you can look to and get the definition quickly.

There are a few reference books that I highly recommend which include popular books such as "Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market", "Pantone Guide to Communicating with Color" to name a few, "the designer's LEXICON" is one of those books that is worth owning.

A great book for defining all those confusing terms in all the computer and design books. It clearly defines the terms you will come across in the design, layout, pre-press, and printing fields as well as offering many illustrations and diagrams or useful charts further explaining terms.

I looked long and hard to find it and for this price, EVERYONE who works in the field should own it!

The work referred to herein is the 1987 MacMillan publication. It has 721 pages (+ xix), printed 3 columns to the page, the volume is sturdy and is smyth sewn. A fine work, physically.

The work is done by one man, and thus has a consistent flavor. The definitions are brief, usually prefaced with the gender and number of the term. The words reflect various periods of the Hebrew language: Biblical Hebrew to New Hebrew (with loan words). Though his definitions and etymologies are brief, they often put to shame much more expensive dictionaries.

Klein is an expert in this field, and this volume is VERY useful for the accurate study of Hebrew. I do wish that the basic Hebrew font could have been a little clearer, and that the other languages could have been written in their native scripts (transliterations are used). The price varies from 50 to 100 dollars, but get it if you can, at any price it is a bargain!! Gary S. Dykes

I cannot agree highly enough with other reviewers - this is THE dictionary for those who wish to study the Hebrew language or understand Hebrew works in depth. The awesome breadth of Dr. Klein's scholarship, mentioned by Amazon reviewers of his CEDEL - "Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language" - is also reflected here in his tracing of the words back through so many tongues. Also, while not strictly needed in a work of Hebrew etymology, the CEDHLRE entries often include forward references, showing how the Hebrew words themselves became the roots of later languages, especially English; any lover of language will be charmed.

Also helpful to the lay student is that Dr. Klein assumes no other linguistics background. Unlike other etymologies such as Jastrow, only knowledge of the Hebrew and English alphabets is assumed, and references to languages such as Persian and Egyptian are given in English transliteration.

Finally, Dr. Klein was not afraid to let his personal charm show through in his writing. Throughout there are entries that include such phrases as "generally considered ... but I believe ...." or "I disagree with those who say ...." It is clear that the CEDHLRE is a personal work, the product of one scholar's love for his field.

My one complaint about this work is its unfortunate scarcity. While the CEDEL is fairly available (including here on Amazon) the CEDHLRE has been kept in undeserved obscurity. In my first copy, I luckily found early on that a folio had been misbound so that one set of pages appeared twice and the next was missing; I was able to replace it while the bookseller still had volumes in stock. But as my second copy became worn in my years at seminary, where it was a daily reference, I began looking to replace it. Sadly, I have retired that second copy but have been unable to find a third.

If you can find a copy, I urge you to either buy it yourself, or let me know about it. :-) Thanks.

when i began studying in preparation for conversion to reform Judaism, i wanted to learn what the Hebrew words meant that i was saying in the prayers. i looked for a book of word-by-word translation, but there was none. so i started studying Hebrew and i saw references to Rabbi Klein's etymologic dictionary. i checked with b&n and found it was out of print. then i checked with the local used bookstore, and they had a copy on the shelf--(which i bought)---it took me a year to find another one by book-search. this book has been the source of 90% of the work that i have just finished after 3 years of work. since this dictionary goes to the derivation of the Hebrew word, it is more in line with the original meaning in most of the prayers and psalms. i wish it would be reprinted. the most awesome thing is Rabbi Klein himself, who had a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna, and then was put into Auschwitz. He was almost the only one of his family to survive. It helps one realize the terrible waste of knowledge and potential in the human life which was lost in the Holocaust. The connections of one word with others which Klein explains in this book make the study of Hebrew even more interesting. Pamela Coyle, M.D.

In need of a thorough revision because it doesn't take into account the recent spelling changes and changes in usage over the past 10 and more years. The grammar summaries are well organized and useful. If you need a place to quickly look up German grammar, the second half of the book is excellent.

My first language is German, and my live-in girlfriend wanted to learn some German to impress my parents. I went to my local bookstore to search through the German resources, and after quite some time of looking I came to the conclusion that this book was the best value available. True, some of the vocabulary is outdated, but the explanatory notes and illustrations of sentence structure are flawless. True, this book does not feature German spelling changes, but most Germans are still ignoring them. I fully recommend finding a course with tapes so as to get sound patterns down (the free tape offered by Cortina for this book is a brief promo that doesn't help at all), but just the grammar section alone is worth twice the price of the book. I've had success with the French version of this book, and now that I've seen the German version I know why. Heartily recommended for self-study, or even as a classroom text. A phenomenal value.

Just glance over the vocabulary a few of times & then go for the dialogue. (Of course, read over the translations to help you out). You'd be amazed how quickly you'll begin to pick up vocabulary and sentence patterns. After reading each lesson over a few times -- here & there -- in a matter of two to three days, you'll be ready for the next lesson. I became hooked, because it was fun to look forward to what the next lesson would be about. The dialogues are interesting and, meanwhile, you'll be gaining a wealth of knowledge in vocabulary, and also how Germans form their sentence patterns (not quite the same as English)! Read and enjoy!!

Jane Horn's "Cooking A to Z" is a fine culinary reference. Almost every entry for a food item includes advice on use, selection, storage, and seasonal availability. While recipes abound, there is a distracting inconsistency on the use of numbers-sometimes they are spelled out (one cup), and sometimes they are listed numerically (1 cup). This is especially annoying with fractions, which are spelled out throughout the book.

Still, this volume has its priorities straight, for the most part, and devotes generous space to the simple foundations of good cooking: the humble egg, knives and knife technique, and so on. Overall, this is intelligently designed and gorgeously photographed.

I saw this cookbook at my mom's house and begged for it. We are both experienced cooks, but I still have found this book very useful. There is something for everyone, with clear and helpful information ranging from mundane to exotic. I like the tips and advice more than many of the recipes, but I think most would appeal to the majority of people (I'm finicky). This high quality book is large and lays open very nicely (but do yourself a favor and buy a plastic cookbook holder/shield), the pages are thick and glossy, and there are lots of gorgeous and tempting pictures. I turn to this very readable reference book frequently. I really use the sections on how to choose particular items, from sugar snap peas to kitchen gadgets. The step-by-step directions for omelettes piqued my husband's interest (he generally hates any kind of food work) and now he is a hit on weekends!

If you are looking for a perfect cookbook for a cookbook collector, this is one they will value highly. Pictures burst from the page and are refreshingly surrounded with intersting tidbits and realistic recipes. The layout is superb and each subject is nicely highlighted for easy location while you page through 629 pages of intoxicating inspiration. The cover is practical with a plastic sheath and the book will open and stay that way on your counter. The type is easy to read with plenty of bold text for emphasis. I cannot give enough positive comments about this book. You will love it.

As a classical voice student, this is the only book I look to when my teacher mentions a work that I'm unfamiliar with. I have found only one error, and that is in Puccini's Gianni Schicci, Mr. Martin calls Lauretta's aria "O Mio Bambino Caro". The title should be "O Mio Babbino Caro". Call me picky, but there's a big difference in translation.

Several years after buying this book, I find that I still turn to it first when examining the details of an Opera. It if really is out of print (and I think Amazon is wrong on this point), than it is a criminal shame. This is one of those books that EVERY singer, accompanist, or Opera Lover should have in their library.

The only major downside is that it is not available in a hardbound edition.

The error cited above by "Coloratura" from San Francisco reminded me of a similar problem I encountered years ago. Reviewing a recital by Renata Scotto for the Washington Post, I mentioned that she had sung "O mio babbino caro." Obviously, an editor thought I had misspelled "bambino" and made a "correction." So instead of being addressed to her beloved daddy, the aria--in this review as in Martin's book--was addressed to her beloved baby. Martin's book is unique in its thoroughness and its totally professional, no-nonsense approach to opera, a book by a man on the production end of the art; a book of special interest and value to those involved in making opera happen. It should not be allowed to stay out of print.

Darkest Hours is a fascinating piece of work for those interested in the history of mankind's calamities. Mr Nash is thorough and very descriptive of the events. Unfortunately though, Darkest Hours is out-dated and a second addition is certainly a must.

i ordered darkest hours on line from dmonaco and believe me the service swift and the book..indescriblebly good.thanks dmonaco and thanks amazon,i'll alway be a faithful customer to you both!

Every now and then a book comes along which can almost be said to be the last word in its field. Darkest Hours is one of those books. Nash covers worldwide disasters from ancient times to the late twentieth century, with entries that are both logical and properly placed. While many of the entries are short, Darkest Hours is no dictionary, but rather a true encylopedia. Nash includes a complete historical depiction of each tragedy, and usually good character descriptions as well. He takes us to the city of St.Pierre as it is about to be obliterated by Mt. Pelee. We find ourselves in Japan during history's worst tidal wave. The murder and mayhem of the Coconut Grove Nightclub Fire comes alive. Nash's writing does get to be rather gory at times, but those offended by this are not likely to be reading his book in the first place. In the end there are only two drawbacks to this book. First of all, it is so good that others wanting to do something similar may just give up trying. Secondly, the book has not been updated in twenty-five years. For most publications, this would call for a new edition. Here, it demands it.

Clear, non-technical descriptions of telecommunication terminology and concepts are what the reader can expect from this title. It covers LANS, WANS, voice, data, and standards.

There are so many Telcomm terms and there are more every year. It's always good to have a easy-to-read technical reference book like this one. It's easy to read even for a Taiwanese! :-)

Btw, I hope there will be revised version of this book every two or three year. Thank you Mr. Muller, the author of the book, for providing the nice book.

This book it's has to be in every engeener desktop and also it's a great dictionary for universities stands and for students tools.