Dictionary Reviews

This handy reference book contains a lot of info for its size. Not just a list of words, it includes other sections such as "sound-spelling correspondences" and "words commonly misspelled" (spelling one of the most "misspelled" words correctly!). It throws in brief definitions when necessary, as in the distinction between "hare" and "hair." And if you want to know how George Bernard Shaw came up with spelling "fish" as "ghoti" it tells you that too. Grabbing this books is way easier than hauling out my beloved but heavy American Heritage when all I want to do is check the spelling of a word.

This book is a lifesaver. It contains word forms that can't be found in large dictionaries or online dictionaries. When no one else can document a word spelling in their big ol' clunky dictionary, I just grab my handy Webster's Spell Checker..., and voilà!

This dictionary is useful even in today's age of computer spell checkers. This paperback edition is portable and convenient to store and use. Not only does it contain the root word, but also the most used derivatives of that word. Also included is a section on accepted abbreviations. Highly recommended.

Let's admit it...all parents help out with homework. Sometimes the help is simply altruistic, other times it is to meet a glaring deadline and of course there are times we just want to make sure everything is done right. To this end, "The Reader's Companion to American History," is a solid companion for parents who pitch in and help their kids finish their homework. It is also a valuable source to make sure our kids are not cutting corners.

This book has it all...brief entries, articles, essays, maps, tables, bibliographies, thorough cross-references and a big-time index. If you want to find out facts about political, economic, social and cultural history, editors Eric Foner & John Garraty do a splendid job. Moreover, the first-class collection of nearly four hundred contributions from eminent scholars, biographers and journalists is very impressive.

Name it...James Monroe (fifth president of the United States), Marilyn Monroe, The Monroe Doctrine...its all there. This book is great to have around during crunch time on homework. It is reliable and easy to use. Its big and heavy and not easy to carry around but when it comes to your kid's education...its worth its weight in gold.

Although I've only read a small fraction of this delightful reference work, I'm quite grateful to own it. It allows you to quickly research difficult topics, check the veracity of a book, and follow your intellectual curiousity.
For example, I recently watched a biography of Frederick Douglass, the 19th century abolitionist. That revitalized my interest in the fiery orator and the abolitionist movement. The Reader's Companion contains a concise, yet in-depth profile that emphasizes Douglass' insights into the roots and consequences of racism in the 19th century.
This hefty reference work, featuring the work of respected scholars should be used by anyone enrolled in a United States History course, professional historians, and amateur historians.
There is also enough balance that you can easily detect the biases of various writers.

the book is invaluable as it is quite difficult to read any history book and know every subject or person involved in the reading. Therefore, the reader's companion is a great source when doing history projects or simply reading history. One does not need to pull out all his encyclopedias or go online to find out who a person in his or her reading is. For any student, especially those of history, this book comes highly recommended. The exerpts are detailed, yet not too lengthy, and provide enough bacground for the average researcher.

I WONDER WHY THEY DIDN'T MAKE IT ON CD-ROM AS WELL? IMEAN THAT'S WHAT THE IS USE NOW.IN THE FURTURE THAT WOULD BE NICE.

This is an excellent dictionary and well suited for family reference. I recommend it highly. At the same time, if you are student looking for a solid Bible dictionary you really do need something that has page headings to let you know immediately where you are to help you find the article more quickly. I would recommend in this case a dictionary like Nelson's Bible Dictionary, or Holman's Bible Dictionary which are both excellent for students. (This comment was somehow omitted from my previous review.)

This is a very beautifully illustrated and interesting dictionary. It is so interesting in fact, that you don't really read it like a dictionary. Instead of just looking up different terms that you don't understand, you tend to read it like you would read a very interesting book that you leave on display on your coffee table for guests to peruse. It contains study guides for each book of the Bible, summaries, outlines, and gives the historical significance and impact of each book as well. It is written in a style that is very easy to understand so it is w

This has got to be the best-designed foreign language phrase book/dictionery ever written. Very well organized; shirt-pocket sized; all words spelled phonetically (in addition to their real spelling); an emphasis on real conversational phrases and practical situations that a traveler would actually encounter. I had to laugh out loud when I got to the section that dealt with romance... and also how to DISCOURAGE romantic advances (such as the translation of "I have many diseases"). If you are going to Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, take this along. People may argue about the utility of Mr. Steves' guidebooks, but his phrase book and dictionery is an undeniable winner.

This is the greatest phrase book I have ever used. It is funny and list phrases people use in real conversation. I honestly didn't have to use mine much because I found most Germans and Swiss eager to practice their English. However, it was a great tool. It is also small in size, which is important if you are trying to travel light!

My wife and I recently traveled through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France. I had both the German Phrase book and the French version. They read very easily and consist of enough common phrases to get you by, but not so many that you are overwhelmed or confused. Handy tips and observations are sprinkled throughout the book that make reading it fun and enlightening. I especially liked the United States Map (showing the states and their boundries). I used this to show my hosts where I was from (and to generate some lively discussions). The pronounciation guides for the phrases are very good and can make you easily understood by the natives. If you're planning on traveling in Europe, I strongly recommend that you read and review this book before you go (to get familiar and practice) and take it with you as you travel (for fast reference).

My wife learned basic Turkish using tapes and books over a 6 month period in preparation for 3 months of traveling in Turkey. Her achieved skills were pretty impressive in day to day usage.

THIS is the dictionary/phrase book that she carried around everywhere, to look up words and refresh her memory. She still carries it around to review with in quiet moments. No other pocket dictionary we looked at or carries had the portability, utility, and durability of this slim but relatively comprehensive volume.

The quality and accuracy of the book is very good. However the book, binding, cover, etc are absolutely indestructible. For the very low price of this book, this is an incredible value. I have developed a lot of respect for a publisher that would create such a physically durable product at such a price.

I am taking Turkish at university. What I really like about this book is that it gives, in addition to useful phrases, an overview of the grammar (VERY important and very unusual in a phrasebook), a Turkish/English and English/Turkish Dictionary (with a lot more words than found in the typical phrasebook), and tables of things like numbers, months, etc.

If you're heading for Turkey (a travel destination I highly recommend) or studying the language, this is a terrific pocket reference (and very inexpensive!).

The best phrasebook for the traveller. Small, with amazing number of key words. English/Turkish and Turkish/English sections in alphabetical order. Easy to use. A must!

These dictionaries (both volumes) are life-savers! I find what I am looking for 95% of the time. Technical translations are not my "specialty" but these books equip me well enough to take on any task in the tech realm.

If you need technical translation this is the tool. Please buy both Volumes.

After reviewing this book at a public library I decided to buy it along with Volume two because it is a good tool for translators and for others in general. It is complete and concise. It is definitely a great dictionary.

After buying a number of other books on Russian, this is DEFINITELY the best one. Too bad its not currently available to order. If you are a begining to the Russian language than this is the book to have. It has everything from diagrams of the mouth to help with pronounciation, to a short picture dictionary, to great exercises - AND an answer key. A must have.

My private Russian instructor introduced me to this book. It is written by a native Russian and also distributed by a reputable Russian publisher. The explanations are methodical and thorough, the examples are numerous. If there were just one book in Russian instruction you could have, my advice is for you to get this one.

I AM TEACHING RUSSIAN AND I USE THIS BOOK FOR 2 YEARS. THIS IS THE BEST TEXT BOOK FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING STUDENTS.

The double CD with MT PARS with Bisiness-dictionaries set and Polyglossum-Business-dictionaries set is good PRODUCT for businesmann and for stjudent. RECOMMEND!

It on my supervisings the largest and modern selection of the E-R-E dictionaries on business : economy, jurisprudence, business correspondence etc. It is very convenient, that in a complete set of delivery is present CD with the program computer-translator and CD with the electronic dictionaries Polyglossum

THE BEST ENGLISH RUSSIAN DICTIONARIES !!!!!!
Excellent product!
Qualitative translation.
Huge quantity of the words in the dictionaries!
Very - Very - Very RECOMMEND!
Well works in our internal corporate network!
Constant updating from the publisher till the Internet...

25 years ago, I arrived at my school site as a Peace Corps volunteer in Samoa. I soon figured out that the key to having a good experience was to learn Samoan. This dictionary was a dear friend in that process. While I was immersed in Samoan every day, I used this dictionary and whatever written matter I could find for a couple of hours every day to supplement the spoken Samoan I was learning. My Samoan eventually got to be pretty good for a Palagi, and this dictionary was a great help. Faafetai tele lava ia G. B. Milner.

This is the best Samoan dictionary I've used! Besides its qualities already mentioned, it also has sample sentences for each word. It gives all definitions for the words, and definitions are precise. Don't settle for anything less!

I have personally used this book many times at work to find the meaning of Samoan words. It is written very well, with all of the diacritical marks - including the ÿokina (glottal stop) and kahako (macron), to allow for correct pronounciation. The book is beautifully bound in a neat hard cover, with burgundy red as the main colour, and with a yellow flower motif running down the side, and a yellow title line, "Samoan Dictionary". Go check it out! Itÿs worth the price. Soifua! -Kaliko Trapp, Hilo, Hawaiÿi

This book is amazing. It has a ton of phrases and words. Also, the Hindi words are spelled out the way they sound and written in English so you can say them. If you still can not say something, it is written in Hindi as well so you could show a word or phase to a Hindi understanding person and they would understand you.
Great Book!

This book includes common questions and phrases one would need to survive a trip to India. It's inexpensive price makes it a great bargain.

Expressions are written in both Devanagari and Roman transliteration. The transliteration does a decent job of conveying how to pronounce Hindi words, but keep in mind that Hindi sounds are softer than English ones.

'teen' (Hindi for 3) sounds quite different from English 'teen.'

This is a must carry-on if you are traveling to India, are a beginner learning to speak Hindi or are trying to smply Brush-up on your speaking skills. Navigating thru the book is really easy -- no need to fumble at all! Key phrases and words that are a staple of the Hindi Language are all included -- even multiple words. An excellent buy & investment. Quick references will truly come in quite handy.