Dictionary Reviews

This wonderful little book -- about the size of a deck of cards -- is a small miracle. Each facing page is devoted to a single verb, and has very clear, concise conjugations in all tenses. There is also a handy index of many, many verbs -- and a link to the page of a verb that is conjugated the same way.

The small size is great -- easy to stick in a pocket or purse -- and the soft plastic cover resists wear and tear. I've had mine for almost 6 years, and the binding is still in perfect shape.

I can't say enough about the book's ease -- and speed -- of use. Whether in French class or doing my homework, it literally takes only seconds to find a verb's correct tense..

This is the most helpful supplementary French book that I've encountered.

This is a much better choice than 501 French verbs. It is smaller, cheaper, convenient and very durable. I bought my copy 9 years ago and it is still intact, the pages are not falling apart. You don't need 501 verbs, you just need 100 something. This handy reference also has an index of frequently-used verbs which can be refered back to the 112 verbs listed. Examples of usage are also given. I recommend my students to buy Collin Gem French Verb Tables.

Nice, Compact, useful words for traveling in and around Europe!

The Collins Gem Language dictionaries are extremely convenient to use, even with one hand! Because of their size and ease of use, they are non-disruptive if one forgets or needs a word in conversations. Using this dictionary, beginning through advanced level students can read modern newspaper articles and liturature. The entries are correct and usually always give a variety of correct pronouns for use with verbs in idomatic cases. As a German teacher, I recommend the Collins Gem German Dictionary above Langenscheidt's. It is smaller and more convenient, less expensive, and the entries are more correct and easier to read.

This book provides a great deal of information in a very accessible format. It is a great resource for anyone dealing with all of the terms and treatments associated with any form of cancer.

at this difficult juncture in my life - it is not often one finds such solace in such a small binding- but...this little book was far more informative than I could ever have imagined! I had so many questions that were far too numerous with whch to burden the physicans -- but this book answered them all and so many more - the perfect gift for someone facing the unknown and trying to cope with the unimaginable -

A great one

G. Leech and J. Svartvik wrote the first edition of this book, released in 1975. I used it as a University text in the late 1980s, and it sits prominent amongst my references in my office. Though the book is designed for advanced ESL students (at the University level), I am a native speaker of the language, and find the approach taken unique, but of greater value than many other style manuals. I refer to it before going to the Chicago Manual of Style or the MLA Style Manual.

The authors look at the USES of grammar rather than the STRUCTURE of grammar. This is very useful for writers (like myself), teachers of ESL, advanced students of ESL, or those who need to learn how to communicate better (Engineers).

finally someone made a dictionary like I would. logical, no jargon pronunciation system, small enough but quite comprehensive and with extra info, at the back, hard cover in black, what else could I want?

well,only two things. at least one page of maps (world map)
and I wish someone would make a dictionary for people who like to take one with you when reading. to make it small AND comprehensive it would have small print, thin paper, and not include obvious words such as "the" "table" or "reindeer"
like dictionaries used to be(hard words only)

finally someone has used standard letters for a pronunciation system. I always thought this would be the best way and never bothered learning the wacky other systems.
it's a nice balance between completeness and compactness.

only one complaint. they should have included at least one
map of the world in the reference section (the full-size reference dictionary has 16 pages of maps.

This work has helped me immeasurably in my current research as well as past school work and research. From A to Z Kim and Sosa present literally hundreds of entries for the reader as well as great reference works to launch into further research. The only pitfall I can find to the book is the fact that it is built around an analytic philosophy (which comes forth in many of the entries). However, many of the continental philosophers and Medieval philosophers are covered. The authors include current trends in the realm of metaphysics and historical trends as well. This is a great starting point for the metaphysician. Moreover, it is a great reference tool that provides other avenues, via further reference, to ignite additional study.

With 264 entries from A to Z written by some of the world's leading philosophers, this encyclopedic Companion from Blackwell is an indispensible aid to students of philosophy in or out of the classroom. If you plan to do any reading in metaphysics, an investment in this volume will be handsomely repaid.

It's hard to comment on specifics since the entries themselves are so widely varied, so let me just recommend a companion volume: Michael Loux's _Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction_. (And _The Oxford Companion to Philosophy_, edited by Ted Honderich, is another keeper.)

The Blackwell "Companion" series is very good in general. See also _A Companion to Epistemology_, which is highly recommended too.

I am owning this work since 1969. I find it exhaustive, well organized, a treasure to hunt for rare words and expressions. It may not contain any new terms since around 1990, but with it you can translate anything you find in the Hebrew bible, or the Talmud.

This dictionary is an excellent source of research on the Hebrew Language

This dictionary is the best that I have seen for the Hebrew language

The Alcalay dictionaries are absolutely unparalleled research tools. In my graduate department, students arrive early in the morning in the hopes of being the one to snag the Alcalay. These dictionaries are invaluable to both casual students and serious scholars of Hebrew. Each entry contains not only a careful philology/etymology of the word, but also an exhaustive, well-organized list of common phrases which incorporate the word, as well as differing usages. Biblical references, which are so important to understanding Hebrew usage, are provided, but Alcalay (now his son) also has his ear tuned to the street, and includes popular/slang meanings. For a language which evolves as quickly and as often as Hebrew, this is really critical. Unlike many other Hebrew-English dictionaries, which are often inconsistent in including or omitting vowels from the Hebrew, Alcalay is logical and consistent, so you always know where to look, and which form of the verb to look up. I may seem to be going overboard here, but I am a very serious student of Hebrew, and I can't praise the Alcalay dictionaries enough. Anything else is really a waste of money.

Here is a Spanish book that will actually teach you Spanish, real Spanish as it is spoken and written throughout Latin America and Spain. With humor and insight the book guides yuo through many of the knotty aspects of Spanish grammar and usage, all the while letting you test and grow your skills. The author makes excellent recommendations for other materials you can use once you finish this book (or at the same time), and offers plenty of useful tidbits about Latino culture, history, and society. An excellent way to improve your Spanish, and a useful review if you already know a lot.

This is THE best book about Spanish that I have ever read. I had already studied basic Spanish, but was pretty rusty. I couldn't put the book down! The author, Steven R. Hawson, has explained things in the clearest way that I have ever read. And, the book is also humorous. I highly recommend it to eveyone. I've never learned more Spanish. I also am learing a lot on my second reading. A great buy!

It is somewhat hard to say this of a book of more than forty years old but this would seem to be indeed what it is cracked up to be, an indispensable reference for anybody interested in the composition of scientific words. I would expect that someone would have come up with something better in the time since the appearance of this book (it first appeared in 1927, reaching the present form in 1956). However everytime I have a question on a scientific word this book produces something useful, usually an answer to my question or otherwise some interesting new bit of information.

The only quible I have regards printing quality. The original typography is very ambitious in trying to condense so much information on a page and it suffered a little in this facsimile reprint. Even so printing quality is pretty decent, it is just that it is short of the crispness I would like to see.

I am not sure how many people will read a review for book which is #174,000+ on Amazons list. It is certainly NOT a bestseller but it is a fantastic book nonetheless. If you are a taxonomer or just wish to know about word origins as used in scientific nomenclature, this book is for you. I must admit, I rarely use my copy but I have it when I do need it. Besides having derivations from Latin and Greek, it has explanations useful for people who may wish to synthesize words for scientific use. At times, it is fun to use this book as a guide and make up scientific words for the most mundane things - try it and see how wonderful something like a flyswatter can sound. Levity aside, this is THE 882 page authority on history of the English language, The nature of Greek and Latin and the formation of scientific terms.