Dictionary Reviews

This book is full of wonderful theorems and other facts about geometry. But don't miss an equally wonderful book of his - The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers. When I semi-retired several years ago, I gave away many of my math books, but I would not part with these two.

This is my favorite David Wells book. Scads of illustrations motivate hundreds of interesting branches of Geometry. Much of the information in the book was new to me, such as the 14th tiling pentagon. This well-researched book is top-notch.

I was asked to enrich a school geometry course. Not much came off the top of my head. After discovering this book, I had so many leads I can enrich for years! It gave an insight into every topic covered in the standard course. It adds so much for those who want to teach more than just a method to get an answer.

Before I heard of this book, I came into contact with its author through the website "Find a Grave." For 20 years, I had been searching fruitlessly for the gravesite of prohibition gangster Legs Diamond. My interest was one of historical curiosity (I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that Diamond had been a boyhood hero of mine), and I meant no disrespect to anyone, living or dead, but it was impossible to locate this gravesite. I couldn't quite understand the reticence of cemetery personnel to divulge its location, considering that Diamond has been dead for over 70 years, but such was the case. No printed guide I consulted was helpful (the most I learned was the name and borough of the cemetery he was buried in and the fact that the gravesite was unmarked). I contacted the cemetery office, I talked to gravediggers in the cemetery, and was ready to give up completely when, in desperation and without any expectation of success, I went onto a "Find a Grave" forum and spelled out the frustrating experience I had been through. Mr. Wilson responded and within a day's time, using Mr. Wilson's information and contemporary photos of Diamond's funeral, I was able to locate the exact spot of his final "Resting Place." For those with an interest in this subject, Mr. Wilson's book is indispensable. His biographical descriptions are concise and accurate and one would be hard put to think of anyone deceased, famous or infamous, who is not included in this book. Actors, writers, criminals, politicians, athletes, politicians, scientists, artists- they're all here. The price may be steep, but, speaking for myself, it was well worth the investment.

This is Great book! I have been using it for a year now!

This is the best purchase I have made in the past year. In spite of what seems like a hefty price tag, it is worth every penny.
Scott Wilson, through a large number of reputable contributors, has assembled a comprehensive list of the burial places of virtually every celebrity/historical figure that I can think of. In addition to providing burial locations, Mr. Wilson also provides information regarding the deceased person's claim to fame, cause of death, and anecdotal stories pertaining to his individual subject, as well as dates of birth and death.
While the book claims to provide over 7,000 "resting places", in actuality far more grave locations are provided as in many cases Mr. Wilson provides locations for prominent families on the basis of a prominent family member's name or a historial event such as Titanic victims.
In the four months since I have had this book, I have only come up with two or three people who are not listed in this book.
This book is essential to anyone who likes to visit cemeteries or as they say 'get within six feet of your favorite dead celeb'.

With over 15,000 words, it has enough for an aspiring poet to be very useful without overwhelming a reader. Although more advanced poets should turn to Sue K. Young's other rhyming dictionary, The New Comprehensive American Rhyming Dictionary, it is perfect in a classroom. I originally bought this book from my 7th grade literature teacher and immediately found good use. For the past five years, it has been of great convenience and has been one of the books I keep at the side of my desk.

When writing a poem for school assignments or merely to express my own emotional state, or convey a story, it has definitely come in handy. Although I am currently looking for a new, more comprehensive rhyming dictionary, this book is great for beginners.

I bought this book to use when I teach poetry to children, and ended up using it for my own poems, too. This book is useful and lots of fun.

When you need to make up a poem, a story, a song, a rap, a slogan, or a greeting card, this book comes in handy!

My 2.5 years old son falls in love with this book. He reads it every night. Every night, he will take out this book from the shelf and asks me to tell what the sesame street muppet did in the pages. Once I stop, he will say : "Turn the page, Mum, No stop. Please read me this book!" If you don't ask him to stop reading, he will continue to read this book till late night. This book is really a unusal dictionary that the family with little child should have one.

This book is not just for toddlers. It is the only dictionary I have seen that puts standard sight words into meaning. Particulary children with learning disabilities have a very difficult time understand the concept of sight words. With a very playful, visual and active descriptive of the sight words, it brings life to the meaning of the words, and it eases in the retention of these words when reading. This book is excellent for children with reading disabilities - up until the 3rd or 4th grade.

This book is wonderful for children from ages 2 and up. My 2 year old is not yet ready to learn definitions, but the book is filled with colorful, easy to see pictures, in which he can identify his beloved Sesame Street characters, as well as the activities that they portray. This is one of the few books that he doesn't want to put down. So many pages makes it something new each and every time we pick it up. I cannot tell you the extent of the knowledge he has gained from this book. Several of his daycare teachers have told me how amazing he is in what he knows and comprehends for a child his age. His knowledge and perception of things took off immediately following our Sesame Street Dictionary reading sessions. This is a book that will continue to give as he grows older and begins learning the concepts and definitions of these words, not to mention when he begins reading and writing!

I arrived in Nairobi in 1981 for a two year stint with a multinational. When I voiced a desire to learn Swahili, my boss' wife recommended this book.

In one month I was speaking Swahili well enough to deal with any situation that could possibly arise. This would not have been possible without this book. Other sources, such as "Teach Yourself Swahili" aren't anywhere near as good. This book was originally written for the settler, missionary or expatriate who came out mainly from the UK, had to learn Swahili fairly well and fairly fast in order to cope in the area, and didn't have the time, money or inclination to sit in a classroom or hire a tutor. As such it is not written for the academic, traveler or dilettante, but is still designed to be thorough and move along at a reasonable pace. On completion of this book you will be able to deal with street situations, read the local newspaper and understand the radio, and yet also have a sufficient grasp of the structure of the language to move into more esoteric things, such as medieval Swahili poetry.

The copy I have was printed in Kenya, and I don't know whether or not it is being printed anywhere else. Anybody interested in learning Swahili should try to get a hold of this book, and I hope that Amazon will manage to track down a source, if possible. My copy's not for sale!

This book makes Kiswahili rahisi sana kufahamu. The lessons are very well organized and it's extremely easy to use. I stayed in Kenya for three months and with the help of this book (and a lot of babbling) I was able to communicate quite well.

This is the best book I ever used to study Kiswahili. And I've tried a couple... It is not apt for tourists who just want a quick insight into the Swahili language, but it is perfect for people interested in staying in an East African country. It contains good explanations on grammar, lots of vocabulary and lots of exercises. It teaches you, how to read, write and speak the language in correct grammar using the right words. In short: thumbs up and very recommendable!

This is about the only reference you need to learn German. The International Phonetic Alphabet, now used in most Oxford dictionaries, helps pronunciation a lot. The grammatical sketch at the back of the book saves you buying a 'Teach Yourself German Grammar' book. The new typeface and layout is very clear. The entries give precise definitions and include many examples in sentences, so that you get a feeling for the word's function. Note though that it is big and heavy, which looks good on a bookshelf but is not very portable.

(...) The name and says it all " Oxford-Druden." This is an indispensable dictionary. Every page has a picture on it with numbers pointing to objects. The opposing page has the numbers pointing to words written in German with their article and English. The English takes a little getting used to (suspenders = braces, elevator = lift, and so on. Can you say exposure control device in German (die Belichtungssteuereinrichtung.) try that without pictures. The dictionary is being continuously updated. However this is the copy that supported me through German Class and I still use it today when navigating Amazon.de

As a professor of German studies at a college and a reviewer of German-English and English-German books and dictionaries, I can vouch for the finely tuned qualities of this masterful work. With the thoroughness, that Duden is known for and the expertise of the publishing of Oxford, this book has all the new spelling rules, phonetic pronunciation guides, a wonderfully complete guide for German as well as English correspondence, useful phrases, and comprehensive guides for English and German grammar. While the book is heavy, it is for desk and reference work viable and highly recommended. Oxford might have done well to print the book on the new, thinner paper that I have seen modern, rather bulky Books such as the BOOK OF MORMON and the BIBLE printed on. Their thickness has been reduced by almost one half the bulk and thus are easier to place in one's briefcase. For desk and reference work, however, nothing on the market at present can equal it for those reasons I have listed.

I picked up this handy little (though fat) paperback on a whim while perusing the magazine shelf at my local drugstore. What a great little book! The information given is written in plain English, unlike the "real" PDR, and is actually quite complete, though concise. It goes right to what "we" (the regular people) need to know about prescription drugs. I highly recommend it.

I find this PDR to be very informative, simple, clear, and concise. Also because of its size its very handy to take with you anywhere and is not as bulky as the regular PDR. Text is written in plain English, for everybody to understand. I give this book ***** Stars

I purchased this inexpensive guide soon after I was diagnosed and it has been very useful in checking all the prescriptions I received from my doctor. Based on the Physician's Desk Reference, this guide is the most comprehensive reference on medications and essential for patients with IBD or IBS. I've used it many times, mostly to prepare for questions about medications for my doctor. It contains a wealth of information on thousands of medications: indications for use, how each drug works, potential side effects, and interactions with other medications. The PDR is also indexed by manufacturer, category, and brand and generic names. It will definately help you exercise more control over your medical care.

I am about to travel to Thailand 5th time and I have found this book usefull in most everyday situations. Explanations of Thai speech and writing are good and easy to follow. English-Thai section is brilliant for its size and Thai-English is useful after getting basics strait. Translating Thai text to English is bit labour intensive.

I am sent by my company to work in Bangkok for a year or maybe two. Bangkok is a wonderful place and the people are very hospitable. However, the most difficult thing is communication. Most Thais I meet on the streets can hardly speak any English. What I need is a book that is handy and can get me to speak basic Thai immediately. This is the book that I needed all along. You can only imagine how much I enjoy practicing Thai with Thais. My Thai has improved tremendously ever since I bought this book. I would say that if you are conscientious in studying this book, you will speak reasonable Thai within a month. This book is a must buy for all expatriates working in Thailand.

I lived in Thailand for six months and had no previous Thai language training. This is the book I found the most helpful. The first thing a beginner should do is study the pronunciation guide in the front of the book. Once you have that down you're set! You can use this book to look up a particular word or look up the key word in a common phrase, and chances are the phrase you want to say will be listed under that word. Very intuitive (for me anyway).

Saunder's dictionary is well-organized, and contains most ever term that I have needed to look up the definition is for. However, it is frustrating that the pronunciation is not listed for any word in the entire book. When learning a new vocubulary it is important to not only know what it means, but also how to say it. The definitions concerning pathology terms where often misleading or contradictory to those in the pathology book.

I am a third semester veterinary student and I use this dictionary at least once almost every time I study. The reason I say that first year students will need this book is that I find I am using it less as my basic medical vocabulary grows, but I am still using it regularly. I too borrowed this book from my roommate constantly before I bought my own, even though I own a medical dictionary and had to walk farther to use her vet dictionary. This book simply has more of the veterinary terminology that I need definitions for. It is just the right size to bring with me when I study - it's not too heavy and it has enough words to make it useful. It does have some words that are unnecessary though, such as 'pooper-scooper'!
Another 'pro' for this book is the appendix at the back: there is one for arteries, bones, joints, muscles, nerves, etc. Honestly, the only one I've used is the muscle chart, but that one was great when I was studying for anatomy lab since it has origins and insertions as well as innervations.
Since I do use it so much, I would recommend the hardcover version. If you want to see the picture of the cover or use the 'look inside' feature, you can see these features on the paperback book webpage since they are currently not available at the hardcover webpage. ...
Don't get me wrong; I still think a medical dictionary is useful. I often find words (and their pronunciations, since the Saunders does not have pronunciations) in the medical dictionary that I didn't find in the veterinary dictionary. But I almost always try the veterinary dictionary first, and I almost always find the word I'm looking for in this book.

When I started vet school, I wanted the biggest, most expensive medical dictionary because I figured it would be the best. I bought Dorland's medical dictionary which is intended for human medicine, and it weighs about 10 lbs. I found that, for my purposes, it was close to useless. Too big to carry around, not very user friendly, and of course lacking in veterinary terminology. I was constantly borrowing my classmates' Saunders dictionary (it was small enough that they could carry it around easily) and I was SO impressed. It's an excellent resource and is on the bookshelf of nearly every veterinarian I know. I now own a copy for myself.

Hey everybody!i have just finished this book! it's awesome! it really takes me back to the tours of the day! If you want to be taken back too, then take a copy of this book home with you today! i guarantee you won't regret it!

A brilliantly written book for anyone who has ever loved their music and their vibe.

This book is a labor of love from a person who has been immersed in the cultural phenomena known as he "Grateful Dead".

Any person who has attended Grateful Dead "shows" will find that this book tremendously enriches the memories and experiences.