Dictionary Reviews

I agree 100% with the first reviewer. This is an excellent reference book. The more I use it, the more I am impressed. The only drawback is the amount of time that can be lost, because one entry sparks curiosity about others!

This is quite a concise compendium of information on all the world's better known religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, etc.) as well as some lesser known ones to the general reader (such as Baha'i, Jainism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism).

The book cover practically all major themes, figures, concepts, scriptures, movements, important festivals, rituals, ... you name it. Readers who seek a deeper, more extensive explanation can consult books on a specific topic, but this is definitely an excellent starting point and a good reference book.

The entries start at ABBASIDs (a Muslim dynasty) and end with ZWINGLI (the Protestant reformer). A sampling of the entries in between includes such broad a subject as "CONVERSION" and "MILLENARIANISM" to more definitive entries such as the Christian CONSUBSTANTIATION and Muslim QISAS.

This is definitely a must-have for truth seekers, curious readers... or just about anyone to whom the faith of others and oneself raises some questions.

This excellent book is one of my plant "bibles." Good photographs and good character and cultural information for a broad range of garden perennials. It could be even BETTER, as it is slipping out of date (more than 10 years!). Time for a good revision, not just a reprint. This superb foundation should be invested in and built upon by the publisher. I own 5 copies and also give copies as gifts. I'd renew all of them if more current varietal information were included...

I have owned this book for ten years and probably use it at least ten to fifteen times a year. I have given several as gifts and frequently hear positive remarks about the book years later from the recipient. A very comprehensive reference that will not disappoint.

When I had my daughter in 1993 I bought this book after careful perusing in the store in which I bought it. It was important to me to find a book that listed MANY names and that it had correct meanings attached. My daughters name was found in this book as well as all three of my sisters children and a few other friends have looked it over in the process of their own pregnancies. I am actually going to buy a second copy, for myself...as my original is dog-eared and has many notes in the margins.
With names like Nani, Kalea, Logan, Danica, Oriana, Sheena, and Dara (some of the children I personally know who were either named from this book or whos names are included inside) you cant go wrong, in fact I judge how good a baby name book is by these names..if they are not there..it is not a complete enough book...and this one has them ALL! As we go through the process of finding a name for our newest addition, this book is a great resource, and will be in our family for generations.

When I became pregnant with my first child in 1996 I immediately began thinking about what I would name my unborn baby so my father gave me this book of names to help me decide. This book is a great read for parents that are not really sure what to name their kids. It is also great to find out what your own name really means and prevent yourself from making the same mistakes some parents have made naming their children. I think I have memorized the entire book. I have become a bit of a name nut since I received this book. If someone needs help with a name - they just call me. Hopefully my children will appreciate my dedication in searching for their names. I certainly appreciated the help.

As a teacher of Adult literacy I have found this book to be very helpful for students needing assistance with their spelling. They can use this book independantly once understanding how it works. The copy I have is also used extensively by my children. The book was to be a recommended purchase for Literacy and high school students this year. Please consider reprinting. I have examined other publications of a similar nature but they are not as easy to use as the format in the Pergamon.

Unlike "spell check" on computers that maintain our drone-like relationship with language, this handy paperback not only provides you with the correct spelling, but it also helps you learn to spell better. Please, print a new edition!

A MUST FOR EVERY PET OWNER, ANIMAL SHOW PERSON, OR BREEDER WHO NEEDS TO NAME ANY KIND OF PET!!(GOOD NAMES FOR EVERY DAY PETS, DOGS, CATS, HORSES TO SPIDERS, TO BRINE SHRIMP!)
I L@@KED FOR THIS BOOK FOR YEARS. 5000 WONDERFUL NAMES FOR MALES AND FEMALES, FROM A TO Z, WHAT THEY MEAN AND WHAT COUNTRY THEY ARE FROM, EVEN FOR TWO PETS LIKE "BETWIXT AND BETWEEN" "ABBOTT AND COSTELLO" "RICK AND RACK" "RAZZLE AND DAZZLE" AND MANY MORE!!
AS A LONG TIME PET LOVER (34 YEARS)AND NAMER OF MANY, MANY PETS I SAY "THIS IS THE BEST AND A MUST HAVE!!!"

This lovely book is, in my opinion, the best pet name book ever written. A friend searched the used book stores and finally found a personal copy for me. (I'd found it originally in my local library.) Great research, wonderful names. A real find.

This book has a lot of useful terms defined and given in examples, but it is the Career Index I found most helpful. The index narrows down careers/ job titles and gives words and phrases to better describe aspects of that experience. Great examples of how to word a job in terms of skills instead of just duties

This is a surprising helpful little book, easy to use, which can increase the effectiveness of your resume, cover letter, or even professional conversation.

As the author points out in the introduction, many employers now use a scanning system to screen resumes. The scanning process involves the selection of certain key words. But which words?
This book can help you include the important words and terms

Part 1 is a word finder. From ability to zealous, you will find key words, their definitions, and a variety of synonyms. Use this part as a thesaurus to add interest to your resume. To make the point that you are enterprising, you can also say you show initiative, are active, aggressive, ambitious, etc., all the way to venturesome.
Part 2 is a career index. I would say it, too, moves from A to Z, but in this case it's accountant to program director, radio. Under each of these key occupations, you will find a list of words to describe skills, responsibilities, and attributes.
There is also an index of positions which relate to these key occupations.

I'm a career counselor who is enthusiastic/excited/exuberant/keen/willing to recommend this book to someone who is feeling stuck about preparing career materials.

I was a student of New Testament Greek prior to picking up this book, but it helped me learn philisophical Greek rapidly. I would reccomend this book to anyone who has a basic, or better, knowledge of the language. It woudn't help someone just starting without a teacher, but for the rest of us, it simply cannot be beat.

A one of a kind work that fills an important need. For graduate students and those undergraduates whose interest in learning ancient Greek is to read that great gift to our heritage, philosophy.

I got this book because in the process of teaching our hearing daughter sign language we came upon some words our little starter book didn't cover (starter book was 'Sign With Your Baby' by Joseph Garcia). This book, in conjunction with the American Sign Language Browser Web Site, helped our 14-month-old learn 50+ signs so far. It's a great, comprehensive, and friendly book.

This book is great for young deaf and hard of hearing children in schools, especially in mainstream settings. It has a child-friendly drawing for almost any word you can think of (I have always been able to find what I'm looking for). It also shows the ASL sign, as well as some SEE signs, for each word and uses each word in one or two sentences. It will be helpful for children and adults, hearing and deaf, who are learning sign language, learning to read, and/or who need help learning word-concept relations.

Who said children can't be artists? This book demonstrates the delightful variety of children's art around the world. But more, it is sociology, in which the art is placed in the cultural context in which it was made. How different are the artistic expressions from children across the globe. It sets the bar for future publications relating to children's art. We loved this book, as a reference, as an interesting coffee table book, as a compact study of diversity and commonality.

Through the imaginations and dreams of children around the world, Tracy Spates has helped articulate the real promise of globalization--not an ecomonic or cultural amalgamation, but the truth and beauty of children making art: a wonderful diversity of myths and individual visions, the unique play of techniques and cultural icons in a world of rapidly converging imagery. This book teaches. This book celebrates. This book heals. "Children's Art Around the Globe" belongs in every household and, more importantly, in every classroom in the world.

When looking at the Five or Six of Pentacles card in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, did you ever wonder why there were beggars on the card? What do they mean? What is the significance? In Thomson's Pictures from the Heart: A Tarot Dictionary, this symbol and many more are explained.

More than just a dictionary, Pictures from the Heart is a journey through the symbols and terms used by Tarotists. This book is good for both the baby beginner and the experienced Tarotist.

I first met Sandra A. Thomson when she was teaching a Tarot class at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Feliz, CA. I was a baby beginner. When I had questions about the meanings of symbols, cards, etc., I had to ask questions. It would have been so wonderful to have the research material available at my finger tips. Now, as I explore many different tarot decks, I finally have the research material I have so longed for.

Thomson is a Tarot Grand Master. She has been certified by both the Tarot Certification Board of America and the Canadian Tarot Network. She is the elected president of the American Tarot Association. Other works by Thomson include; Cloud Nine: A Dreamer's Dictionary, and works written with Robert E. Mueller and Signe E. Echols, which include The Heart of the Tarot: The Two-Card Layout, Spiritual Tarot: Seventy-Eight Paths to Personal Development, and The Lovers' Tarot.

In order for the book to stand alone, Pictures from the Heart includes a brief history of the Tarot. Thomson writes, "Imagine yourself sitting around the campfire at tarot camp, listening to your tarot counselor tell stories. She begins, 'Once upon a time there were a group of people known as Gypsies.' Here she smiles knowingly and adds, 'because they came from ancient Egypt.'" How many of us have heard that version of tarot history? It is nice to be able to smile at the versions of tarot history that circulate. Thomson goes on to give a more factual version as well.

Pictures from the Heart also includes summaries of 25 of the most common Tarot decks. The decks are also categorized. One of the categories includes Multicultural Decks. Under this category, Thomson lists Shining Tribe (Llewellyn) and The Ancestral Path Tarot (U.S. Games). I find this beneficial for those of us who like to explore decks and genres.

The book also contains some insight into spreads. Thomson writes, "Spreads (also called layouts) form the structure of a reading. They create or provide order to information received from the cards. Otherwise, you might as well throw the tarot deck into the air and read 'meaning' into how and where the cards fall in the room. It if weren't so complicated, that in itself wouldn't be a bad idea, but since it might take a lot of bending over and stretching upward (to reach those cards dangling from the light fixture), a spread becomes one way of simplifying and clarifying the reading process."

Dr. Thomson, as she is known for, cites all of her sources. This is very helpful for those who like to really get into a symbol or definition. It allows the reader to access works from several well-known Tarotists.

Pictures from the Heart is called a dictionary, but it is so much more. It is a plethora of information in one book. The information is concise, some times humorous (where appropriate), and above all fascinating. I wonder how Thomson was able to put so many tid bits of information, from so many traditions of study, into a collective work and still make it meaningful. It is a must for anyone interested in the Tarot.

The product of exhaustive research, PICTURES FROM THE HEART organizes into alphabetical order detailed notes on the symbolism and meaning of Tarot cards.

This is the book I wanted years ago when my study of the Tarot began. What kind of bird is that in the background of The Star? Why is the word DIN concealed within the art on the Magician trump? Why is there a lobster (or is that a lobster?) on the card called The Moon? PICTURES FROM THE HEART answers these questions -- and hundreds more -- in simple, concise language.

PICTURES FROM THE HEART supports both a systematic and intuitive study of the cards. Those people looking for comprehensive, comparative information on specific cards will find it. Others, having been drawn to a specific detail on a card, will be able to discover at a glance the concepts associated with it.

In addition to the dictionary, Thomson includes:

- a brief (and objective) history of the Tarot

- insights into the origins of familiar card meanings

- balanced reviews of twenty-five decks

- an introduction to card reading and spreads

In short? This is a great reference and resource ... made all the more accessible thanks to its organization in a dictionary format. If you're curious about Tarot or interested in seeing familiar cards in new ways ... buy this book!