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Title: The American Heritage® College Dictionary, Fourth Edition by Editors of The American Heritage Dictionaries ISBN: 0-618-09848-8 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 12 April, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.8 (15 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Good layout, font size, and features = a quality dictionary
Comment: This is a review of the hardcover dictionary only; I did not purchase the CD. I have an older edition paperback American Heritage dictionary, but wanted a hardcover desk reference that was more comprehensive, without getting one of those massive, all-encompassing tomes that I could hurt my back trying to use.
I considered three dictionaries - the American Heritage College dictionary, the Merriam Webster Collegiate dictionary, and the Oxford American Desk Dictionary. I compared a few definitions, the paper quality, and page layout (font size, spacing, etc.)
All three dictionaries seem to have good definitions - the wording varies, of course, for each one. The Oxford seemed to have the most direct, straightforward definitions, but lacked secondary definitions or didn't have as many word usage / word history tidbits (which I like, but which admittedly are not essential) as the American Heritage.
Paper quality for each is good, although the Merriam Webster's page brightness was a little "dim" for me - Oxford and American Heritage pages were just the right brightness, making the pages seem more crisp and easy to read.
I really like the page layout for the American Heritage - clear, nicely-spaced font that is easy on the eyes and makes reading a joy. I didn't have the problem some have mentioned with respect to words "running into" the spine - just tilt your head a little, and you can read the definitions just fine. Oxford page layout is likewise nice; reading Merriam-Webster gave me a headache because everything is "scrunched" together - spacing between lines is woefully inadequate, in my opinion.
In sum, the American Heritage is a quality "midsize" dictionary. Oxford is also nice. Merriam-Webster didn't cut it for me.
Rating: 5
Summary: Tied for best
Comment: I as an intern at a book publisher, and I also used to shelve books in the reference section of Borders, so I've had a chance to form an opinion about the best dictionaries out there.
American Heritage is one of three dictionaries I think are worth owning and one of two that I think are tied for best. Describing all three in chronological order (and also in order from okay to great):
Merriam-Webster is the original Webster's dictionary; their collegiate dictionary is an abridgement of their Third New International Dictionary, the biggest dictionary of American English. Therefore some people, including the publisher I worked for, consider it the most authoritative dictionary. I used to think so too, but not anymore. I think it is too conservative and slow to embrace change. My M-W Collegiate Dictionary has a copyright date of 2000, but doesn't include words like "webcam" or "webmaster," which A.H. includes.
Webster's New World Dictionary has been around for about 50 years and I've heard that it's the dictionary most often used by journalists. It's as good as A.H. or any other college/desk/general-use dictionary you'll find. In a couple ways, W.N.W. is actually better: it does a really great job of cataloguing idioms, and a pretty good job with synonyms too. Definitely worth buying.
American Heritage has been around for about 20-25 years, I think, and to me what makes it most unique is its progressiveness and its quickness at cataloguing language change. "Webcam" and "webmaster" are in A.H. It's got great photos, too (especially the color photos in their unabridged edition, of course, but even in their college edition the black and white photos surpass anything in M-W or W.N.W.). When I look at a definition in A.H., I feel like I am seeing something relevant and up-to-date. I originally bought the unabridged A.H. dictionary, but I exchanged it for their college dictionary because personally I need a dictionary that's light enough that I can whip it off the shelf in a flash without the risk of injury (grin).
I own all three of the above dictionaries. When I worked at a bookstore, I recommended either A.H. or W.N.W. as being the best. To me it is a matter of taste which is the best. If I had to choose one, I'd be a tough choice. I guess I'd pick W.N.W. just because I think it gives you more content for your dollar, but I'm glad I own A.H. too. As you can see from my rating, it is a 5-star dictionary, and in some ways it is the best.
Rating: 5
Summary: The best general-purpose dictionary
Comment: Although it is perennially outsold by the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - whose red cover will be familiar to Reference shelf browsers, thanks to M-W's large advertising and distribution budget - the American Heritage is far and away the superior product: (in descending order of importance) unmatched clarity of definitions, cleanliness of layout (better than even the AH Unabridged, in this respect), and currency of coverage. This dictionary will meet your lexicographical needs in fine style 99.9% of the time. For that 1-in-1000 occasion, you'll have to go the library and suffer through the Oxford English Dictionary's fusty definition style.
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Title: Bartlett's Roget's Thesaurus by Brown Bartlett/Little ISBN: 0316101389 Publisher: Little Brown & Company Pub. Date: 01 August, 1996 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: Roget International Thesaurus Indexed Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer ISBN: 0060185759 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 15 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language by Editors of The American Heritage Dictionaries ISBN: 0395825172 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 15 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $60.00 |
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Title: MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th Ed) by Joseph Gibaldi, Phyllis Franklin ISBN: 0873529863 Publisher: Modern Language Association of America Pub. Date: May, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
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Title: American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language CD-ROM by Editors of The American Heritage Dictionaries, Editors of The American Heritage Dictionaries ISBN: 0618094555 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 15 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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