Dictionary Buying Guide

The Oxford English Dictionary is the internationally recognized authority on the evolution of the English language from 1150 to the present day. The Dictionary defines over 500,000 words, making it an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, pronunciation, and history of the English language. This new upgrade version of The Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM offers unparalleled access to the world's most important reference work for the English language. The text of this version has been augmented with the inclusion of the Oxford English Dictionary Additions Series (Volumes 1-3), published in 1993 and 1997, the Bibliography to the Second Edition, and other ancillary material. System requirements: PC with minimum 200 MHz Pentium-class processor; 32 MB RAM (64 MB recommended); 16-speed CD-ROM drive (32-speed recommended); Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 200, or XP (Local administrator rights are required to install and open the OED for the first time on a PC running Windows NT 4 and to install and run the OED on Windows 2000 and XP); 1.1 GB hard disk space to run the OED from the CD-ROM and 1.7 GB to install the CD-ROM to the hard disk: SVGA monitor: 800 x 600 pixels: 16-bit (64k, high color) setting recommended. Please note: for the upgrade, installation requires the use of the OED CD-ROM v2.0.

Designed to help advance students master spoken and written English as it is actually used, this groundbreaking new dictionary provides in-depth and up-to-date coverage of basic English vocabulary, grammar, and usage. Outstanding features include nearly 100,000 words and phrases, more than 160,000 usage examples, more than 22,000 idioms, verbal collocations, and commonly used phrases, and more than 1,000 original drawings--including 16 pages of full color art. Abundant supplemental information includes 25 pages of grammar.

No matter which specific needs you have in a dictionary, every question associated with dictionaries and dictionary purchasing is addressed in Kister's Best Dictionaries for Adults and Young People. The book features the author's authoritative reviews and expert commentary as he evaluates 300 separate publications.

The Complete Resource for Effective Communication Use words with precision. Clear, concise definitions help you say exactly what you mean. With 61,000 entries, 3,000 of them new, this dictionary covers the practical language you need every day. Based on the prestigious Webster's New World College Dictionary, this compact desk edition is up-to-date, authoritative, and easy to use. Write clearly and persuasively. Succinct explanations of grammar and punctuation help you avoid common errors. Expert advice on word usage adds polish to your writing. The clear, readable style guide, now completely rewritten, includes numerous examples of the "do's and don'ts" of effective writing. Get the information you need. Helpful tables give quick access to frequently needed facts, from capitals of the states to measurement conversions. Tables are grouped together so that information is easy to find. The dictionary you know and trust plus a complete, concise style guide and more * Widely used scientific, technical, professional, and business terms * Frequently used foreign words and phrases * Common abbreviations * Guide to pronunciation * Concise word origins * Basic rules of grammar, punctuation, and capitalization * Proper expression of numbers * Spelling and hyphenation of compound words * Guide to proper use of frequently misused words and phrases * Handy reference tables

Dictionaries are among the most frequently consulted books, yet we know remarkably little about them. Who makes them? Where do they come from? What do they offer? How can we evaluate them? The Dictionary of Lexicography provides answers to all these questions and addresses a wide range of issues: * the traditions of dictionary-making * the different types of dictionaries and other reference works (such as thesaurus, encyclopedia, atlas and telephone directory) * the principles and concerns of lexicographers and other reference professionals * the standards of dictionary criticism and dictionary use. It is both a professional handbook and an easy-to-use reference work. This is the first time that the subject has been covered in such a comprehensive manner in the form of a reference book. All articles are self-contained, cross-referenced and uniformly structured. The whole is an up-to-date and forward-looking survey of lexicography.