Dictionary Reviews

My husband and I have cruised the Spanish-speaking Caribbean for years; unfortunately for us, all of those years were before Kathy wrote SPANISH FOR CRUISERS. We muddled along then, but next time we'll have this wonderful book with us. In fact, it will be our security blanket. It covers every possible boat repair; and I suspect it will turn a potential emergency into something commonplace.

I met the author of Spanish for Cruisers while I was sailing the Caribbean earlier this year and got a copy of this great book to take with me when I sail on to Venezuela, Columbia and Panama. After looking it over, I can highly recommend it.

Spanish for Cruisers provides all the essential boating, hardware and mechanical vocabulary and phrases that is impossible to find in any other single source.The book is divided into 25 sections, such as Materials, Hardware, Electrical, Talking to Mechanics, Refrigeration, Sails and Tools. There are also sections on basic conversation, pronunciation and asking for directions. The format is well laid out with many diagrams, a complete index , an extended back reference cover that can be used as a bookmark and a soft plastic spiral binding which allows the book to lay flat. Cruising is often defined as "doing boat maintenance in exotic places". If you're planning to sail to Spanish speaking countries of South America and the Caribbean, this book by Kathy Parsons will make the inevitable boat maintenance part of your cruise much less frustrating.

James Baldwin s/v Atom

There's a lot to say about this very well put-together book "Spanish for Cruisers". It's a handy pocket translator for boaters who need to make repairs in a Spanish-speaking country. Whether you are sailing Mexico, Central or South America, or Spain, the attention to regional differences in vocabulary will let the boater quickly bridge the language barrier.

Spanish for Cruisers allows students to get quick results from their efforts and I will be using it in my classes as well as recommending it to boaters who are learning Spanish on their own. Its practical techniques give the English-speaking boater the ability to arrange boating repairs, carry on conversations and communicate information needed in emergencies. Spanish for Cruisers provides boaters with the most important verbs that they will need for everyday conversation using strategies that eliminate the need to master difficult conjugations. Another asset is that phonetics (pronunciation) is provided for every word and phrase. This allows students to start communicating quickly without a teacher.

Spanish for Cruisers makes communication easy, fun and rewarding and I recommend it highly.

My pocket dictionary by Langenscheidts, which I give 5 stars to also, has some verbs in tables which is handy. But I wanted to have a small, but fairly comprehensive pocket verb book. It turns out this is better than I could have ever imagined. In the front it shows the tenses and how, when, and why to use them. (It's the same as 501 Spanish Verbs.) What's even better is in the back it has an alphabetical listing in English of all the verbs in the book. If you need to know a verb, you can certainly find it in your pocket dictionary, but seeing it conjugated is extremely helpful whether you're a beginner or someone in an intermediate or advanced level. Most verb conjugations are easy to remember, but if you forget, you can look in this book which is so light and compact, it's incredibly easy to carry. You can't go wrong with this book even if it's the book you'd rather have than 501 Spanish Verbs.

I am learning Spanish and this book helps me a lot when I want to learn, speak, write, or translate anything from English to Spanish or Spanish to English. This is perfect for anyone who wants to learn Spanish no matter what level you are at. I have learned so much from this book. There is one verb on each page with all the verb conjugations for all tenses and all persons (I, you, he, she, it, we, they, etc.). It is very clear. At the bottom of the page, there is a small collumn that has words and expressions related to the verb you are looking at. In the back, it has a small dictionary to look up the verb in English so you can find it in the book. Then, it has a small section for verbs that are not included in the book; it gives you the page number to a verb that conjugations the same way as the verb you are looking up, so even if the verb is not in the book, it gives an example of how to conjugate it. It also has a small section of alphebatically ordered tenses of irregular verbs and it gives you the page number of the verb that it comes from. Some verbs you can not immediatley tell what the infinnitive is, so this helps a lot. At the beggining of the book there is an intro explaining each verb tense and how to use it and examples so, even if you have never been taught any type of Spanish verbs, this explains it to you.
Also, this a good size to carry with you. If you are learning Spanish, Get this!!!!! Wonderful!!

I strongly recommend this book to anyone learning how to speak and conjugate Spanish verbs. In the first pages of the book, it explains how to form the participles and the tenses of verbs. It also tells what the different tenses are used for and their English equivalent. In the middle, the 300 verbs are spelled out and how to conjugate them in all 14 tenses. The book is printed in 2 colors for easy reference. The only bad thing is that for some people (I didn't have this problem), the print may be too small. But this is due to its convienent pocket size. Overall, I highly recommend this book.

I've been trying to learn Spanish on my own with limited success over the past 2 years, but I think I'll make alot of progress using bilingual books. Repeated exposure to proper Spanish grammar, verb tenses, and vocabulary is far more beneficial to me than rote memorization from a textbook, and sometimes the stories are so interesting that you forget that you're reading a different language. The folklore of Latin America is brought to life by the stories, which cover many scenarios and countries. My biggest criticsm is that the dictionary in the back should include more words, and the translation could be more literal, if possible. Sometimes, although rarely, words are used that aren't translated and aren't in the dictionary. Nevertheless, I felt my Spanish comprehension and vocabulary improving with each story I read, and I'm looking forward to moving on to Historias de Mexico.

This is a great book for anyone at the intermediate Spanish level. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the stories were short - each of the 16 stories is about four pages long (four pages each of Spanish and English). My only complaint is that 4 of the 16 legends are from Mexico, which seems a little Mexico-centric, given that there is a companion volume of legends from Mexico available. But that is a minor flaw of a very enjoyable book.

I found the title a very valuable resource in assisting me to learn Spanish. As an adult, it is good to read something that is not purely aimed at the younger person. The stories were interesting to me as an adult. I found the level of the Spanish at a standard which was not too complex yet still gave many challenges - a good combination. For someone wishing to improve their understanding and comprehension of written Spanish I believe this is a very useful addition to their library.

Any bible student will love having this fantastic concordance.
I learned so much from being able to cross reference all parts
of the Old and New Testament to my hearts desire, in 3 ancient
languages. It's easy to use, it is absolutely comprehensive, and
I know I learned more about the Bible in a year than some people
who have studied the Bible for 20 years. Even if you just have
a proud home library of reference books, this should be in it.

I am surprised that there aren't more reviews on this book. Next to your Bible, a concordance and a Bible dictionary are the two most likely candidates for serious students of the Word, and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is by far the most popular concordance, hands down. Whenever I do a study, you can be assured that I use the concordance to either look up verses, find out how many times a word is used, or find the basic meaning of a word in the original language. As a concordance it is great, but for word studies you will probably need a dictionary or lexicon that will give greater detail in their definitions. But this should not stop you from purchasing the book, because almost all other modern references now use the Strong's numbering system. So, start with Strong's, use it as your concordance and do use it for the basic definitions, but then as you progress you can purchase other reference volumes that will give you more information but will still utilize the same numbering system. Although the hardback is tremendous, I prefer the softcover edition. It is not as large and bulky, usually costs less, and it can fit inside of your briefcase.

Strong's Concordance is the bridge for non-Hebrew/Greekspeaking students of the Bible to be able to study the meanings of thewords of the original Hebrew and Greek texts of the Old and New Testament. The concise appendix dictionary of Hebrew and Greek word definitions is a good place to start, but other lexicons are more thorough, such as (1) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament and (2) Zodhiates' Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament.

Strong's is the standard for word numbering used by most lexicons. What James Strong could have never fathomed is that the numbering of the words of the Bible in their alphabetical sequence actually corresponds to modern-day numbers, such as years, addresses, phone numbers, places which are key to the latter-day fulfilment of the covenants. It is James Strong who was the unwitting instrument of this uncanny miracle of God.

This book is a great asset for all tappers. It is filled with almost every version of every step known to tappers. I can sit for hours flipping through this book and trying new things. I also find the historical information very interesting. As a dance teacher, this book is a must-have. I am sure it will continue to serve me well all throughout my career.

There aren't many TAP dictionaries out there, and out of the few I know of, this one is an asset to have by my side in my dance studio. It has clear definitions and explanations on how to perform the steps. It's got a touch of history for the curious, and has become a trusty companion. I like that it contains different terminology from places all around. A definite five star book!

From Backstage 9/18/98 review by Jennie Schulman "....intensive and comprehensive. In addition to detailed descriptions of all the basic steps extant, there are fascinating details of many of their origins. There are also varied descriptions of the social dances from the 19th Century to our own era, many of which were interpolated into tap.The Tap Dance Dictionary is highly recommended for all dance collections.

Chinese is a fascinating language, and /Teach Yourself Beginner's Chinese Script/ is a wonderful introduction. It moves rather quickly, but is filled with varied exercises that keep you thinking and help you gain a better feel for working with the script. "Mini Tests" divide the book up, offering genuinely challenging exercises to see just how well you understand the concepts you've learned thus far.

Complete with a chapter on how to properly write characters, an introduction to looking up symbols in a Chinese dictionary, and a general overview of how to input Chinese characters on computers, /Beginner's Chinese Script/ is a very well-rounded book. I highly recommend it as a starting point for gaining a better understanding of this complex (but delightful) language. Don't let the small size and low price of this book fool you - great things come in small packages!

This book is the first I have come across that teaches Chinese characters by helping the reader to understand how they are formed. Other books plunge right into the presentation of characters that must be memorized, quickly overwhelming the reader.

In this book you will understand the logic behind the evolution of the characters, the use of radicals in compound characters, the composition of multiple character words, interpretation of characters in context, and how to correctly write these characters yourself. Elizabeth Scurfield explains the rules behind stroke order and gives many examples as the characters progress from simple to more complex. Each unit builds logically on the preceding unit, so learning is gradual and easy.

If you are just beginning to learn Chinese writing, I couldn't recommend this book more highly. You will need to look elsewhere to learn the spoken language, not much help here (although Elizabeth Scurfield does have another very good book that teaches both reading and speaking Mandarin). Once you have mastered the material in this book, you will need to find a more advanced book if you wish to become proficient. This truly is just a beginning - but a very good one.

This book is really fantastic. It shows you the basics for the chinese script origin and gives you a basic understanding of the written language by associating it with everyday situations. Through the numerous examples from real chinese setrtings it teaches you how to guess a possible meaning for a character by noticing its background (e.g. if it is on a restaurant menu, airport lounge information etc.) and compounds. This is particularily important for the everyday traveller to China who doesn't have the time to learn a lot of characters but has the basic intelligence to associate a character with its possible meaning. It also has a very practical pronounciation guide and a guide to chinese computer input methods at the end of the book but unfortunately doesn't give the pinyin for all the characters that are presented in the book.

This beats Roget's without contest which was the standard my professors championed. Each word has enough synonyms, and sometimes antonyms, for each task or will give you ideas of where to refine your search. This thesaurus has carried me through all facets of writing from personal letters to classified business reports. For some years now, the many online dictionaries are searched but this one still suits my needs the best. My copy has been used to tatters so it's pleasing to find some still available here.

This has been my thesaurus of choice since High School; mine is the 1966 edition. This beats Roget's without contest which was the standard my professors preferred. Each word has enough synonyms, and sometimes antonyms, for each task or will give you ideas of where to refine your search. This thesaurus has carried me through all facets of writing from personal letters to classified business reports. For some years now, the many online dictionaries are searched but I still consult this one because it suits my needs the best. My copy has been used to tatters so it's pleasing to find some still available here.

By far the best dictionary of synonyms I have ever used, and I am a professional linguist. Designed for the already-articulate, it gets you to the right word fast. No unneccessary trivia or time-consuming cross-references; just what you need, instantly. A shame it's no longer available in stores.

I bought this set for my 5 year-old and 8 year-old. For the most part, they and I like it, but I must admit it takes a wee bit of getting used to. You won't be able to just put the tape on and walk away with this set, you'll need to sit with your kids and go through it together. But if you're willing to do that you'll reap some very real benefits, and your kids will too!

This is a great set to introduce Spanish to young kids. I have been using it with my four year old with great success. The book and cassette compliment each other well and really hold his attention. Each chapter contains several simple yet creative games to help reinforce the vocabulary and phrases being taught and ends with an on-going story in the form of a cartoon. I enjoy the program too!

This is a wonderful program that I have successfully used with children from kindergarten through grade three. The kids love the songs and games. It's lively and a lot of fun. Just what learning should be!

does not do SILK embroidery stitches at all. If this is your thing, as it is mine, you will be very sorry here. 2 silk stitches and that's all. But if you do crewel and needlepoint there is literally nothing as good as this. Very clear explanations and good shots of the stitches themselves with alpha lettering to guide you...Everything is in full colour and that helps. While the word Sampler is used, there are no projects in this book as it really is a dictionary like Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery of Stitches. The difference between the two books is Mary's version shows the stitches as both embroidery and needlework while Lucinda tells you that they can be worked either way but does not show them. I guess in the end that's why there is no silk :-)

This is a fantastic book that covers a tremendous amount of stitches. This is a very valuable source in my embroidery library.

Very good book, pictures are shown in color with very good illustrations of the stitches. Variations for various stitches are also shown which are appealing. I am an embroidery lover, after having this book I feel I can make thousands of beautifull unique pieces. A great book in all for beginners as well as for others who do embroidery. I would definitely recommend this book.

The book is organized by themes. Each chapter is a group of symbols. The chapters are: 1 - Cosmos, Heaven, & Earth; 2 - Trees & their fruits; 3 - Diverse plants; 4 - Birds & insects; 5 - Land & sea animals; 6 - Demons, deities, and figural groups; 7 - Religion & good fortune; 8 - Objects of everyday life; 9 - Music, board games, and cultural pursuits;

Within each chapter, each subject is treated alphabetically. So for example for Ch. 4, subjects treated are: ...., Bamboo shoots, Beans, Bellflower, Bracken, Bush Clover, Chrysantemum,....

The information is there, no question. I was looking into what the heck was that egg-shaped 'tama' that I've seen associated with the Inari fox several times on netsukes, now I know (it's a wish granting jewel.) The 2 reproaches I would make are the following:

First, the information is there but it's a very dry reading. So for example in the case of the tama & Inari fox, I know now what a tama is, but I would have loved a little bit more info on why it is associated to the Inari fox, why it's shaped like an egg, etc. Basically, I would have liked some info on the legend behind the symbol.

Second, the book hesitates between being a scholarly reference book (somewhat dry content) and an entry level one (1 inch deep and 1 mile wide.) For example, the Chrysantemum gets as much treatment as the Cherry Tree (FYI, a full page), but the author only mentions that it is an imperial emblem once, en passant, in the last paragraph (as if any reader, of course, would already know that.) She also doesn't talk about how the Kikumon is used by artists who had been such authorized by the imperial family as an endorsement / reward.

The book is quite well illustrated with generally at least 1 plate per page. Illustrating ALL themes would have required 2 more books! Some of the pictures are of unusual subjects such as modern jpz art pieces that I at least had not had the opportunity to see before, or a couple of amber netsuke. Loads of inro boxes, netsuke, and prints. I have not seen a single sword blade (but there's at least 1 tsuba.) There are a great quantity of small size example of mons, typically a couple for each key theme (e.g., 2 for each of Stars, Sun, Moon, Lightning, but none on Snow, Rocks, Mountains,...)

All and all I will give it a grade of 4 out of 5, as an entry level reference book for Jpz culture *generally speaking*. If you are looking for an treaty focusing on a specific art, or one that would give you more than the raw information and include legends and stories, you might be disappointed.

This is a long awaited book which succinctly lists and describes the symbolism seen in the Japanese arsts, making the viewing of the works much more interesting and enjoyable. The history , where they originated, how when and where they are to this day, used. The colors for different ages and seasons. How they have changed over the centuries. Surprisingly, I found some similarities in the our and other western ideas that are used in much the same way as the eastern. The information is deep and scholarly, yet reading it is not a chore.

Book review for Symbols of Japan.

Japanese and Chinese art have been a fascination for me for many years. However, I am continually frustrated by conflicting and confusing information about the symbolic meanings of these two artistic traditions, and an inconsistent use of terminology. "Symbols of Japan"--amazingly (and concisely) gives me the answers to these longstanding problems. As another reviewer said, this is an eye-catching book, well designed and with some extraordinary pieces of art illustrated. But for me, the special significance of "Symbols of Japan" is its text. The writing has great clarity and discipline. I found it is so very elegant and fascinating that I kept wishing I could read even more on the topics covered.

"Symbols of Japan," is a one-volume encyclopedia and has between one and ten paragraphs for each of the several hundred subjects, making it easy to maneuver. Each entry specifically addresses how the topic is treated in art, and also-and here is where this book is so unique-first provides a considerable amount of cultural background in a truly interesting manner. Some entries are predictable, like dragons and cherry blossoms. But others are off the beaten track or often examined in a light I had not even considered.

What kinds of subjects did I personally like best? Such topics as how the Japanese think of and depict weather, the degree to which demons are malicious and immoral, why ghosts of the deceased are usually female, and the role oxen play in fighting epidemics. Also how the Japanese typically paint tigers, why ropes and knots are so important in everyday life and art, why Japanese art shows clothing meant to make Taoist wizards invisible, and what it means if you see people in clothing patterned with swastikas.

I do not think that "Symbols of Japan" makes any pretensions that it is a history of Japanese art, and it does not examine any specific art media in depth. Still, readers interested in Japanese art (and others with specialized interests such as samurai history, tattoos, dolls, astronomy, mythology, gardening, and the theater) will surely want to make "Symbols of Japan" a foundation of their libraries and a first choice for learning more about Japanese culture. Moreover, it is truly beautiful to look at.