Customer Reviews

Bantam New College Italian/English Dictionary (Bantam New College Dictionary Series)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

By now I speak Italian well enough to be called, by Italians, fluent, and in fact I've given a few lectures in Italian. I say that only to suggest that I've been around the block with Italian/English dictionaries and far and away this one has served me best. Only very rarely does it fail me and not have a necessary word or idiom, but otherwise this packed pocketbook is almost mystic in its sense of what American students of Italian need. First-rate: you need to spend a hundred bucks to do better, and how often do you want to lug down, or out, a book that size

This is the dictionary you should buy if you are an American. Many Italian-English dictionaries use the British English, and this is inaccurate for our uses. This is easy to use and includes conjugated verbs and grammar tables.

The best paperback Italian-English Dictionary I've seen. Actually can compete with several of the high-cost hardbounds. A great buy for the money.

From the publication particulars, I can see that this dictionary came out just as I was making my first trip to Italy. I must have bought it that time. Anyway I've had it long enough so that the first 24 pages (also the last few) have long since fallen off, worn away by repeated and stuffing and unstuffing into (out of) a travel pack. It has always been, and remains, indispensable: the Swiss Army Knife of Italian dictionaries. Or better, perhaps, like the TI BA-II calculator: same old boring format and framework, same dependable performance. Indeed, I bought another pocket Italian dictionary a couple of years back (why?). It's probably perfectly fine, but somehow I keep coming back to this packworn original, while the new one reposes silently on the shelf.

I would like to, but cannot honestly, say that I am fluent in Italian: most of the time, when I try to speak it in a shop, they just answer in English and save everyone the trouble. But I can dope my way through the newspapers and a simple novel or two. And for this--here's a five-star salute to my companion of 20-plus years.

This bilingual dictionary's two greatest virtues are its compact yet readable format and its affordable price. This meets my limited needs, as someone who comes across the occasional Italian word in passing. Most high school language students will also find that it has all the vocabulary they need. This isn't a scholar's reference, though. Translated definitions tend towards the terse, so they won't cover all usages of a term. And, to keep cost down, it's printed on pulp stock, so it won't last forever even if handled gently. It offers plenty if you don't need much, and that's good enough for me right now.

//wiredweird

Great paperback dictionary for American English speakers who are studying Italian and as a quick reference for those who want to check something. Not only is the Italian to English section comprehensive in providing multiple forms of words that vary by gender or number, it adds value by including idiomatic expressions that employ the word. The front sections on Italian spelling and pronunciation, grammatical tables, table of regular endings of Italian verbs, and model verbs with six tenses are wonderful references "at a glance."

An outstanding value. Italian-English AND English-Italian unlike some. I use Harper Collins Sansoni Italian Unabridged for really serious work. But it weighs 5-1/2 pounds! The Bantam can't be beat for its size. I have used this dictionary for years; the pages have yellowed and the binding is failing and I want to replace it. I was anxiously awaiting the promised Kindle version. It would address my failing binding and yellowing pages. Plus I could increase the font size and use it as my primary Kindle dictionary when reading Italian books. But Bantam has delayed indefinitely or abandoned the (until recently) promised Kindle edition. What a disappointment.

I first bought this dictionary in 1990 for a college course. It was well worth the money. So, I decided to buy a newer version since mine was old and frayed. Upon inspection, I noticed that my old dictionary and this "new" dictionary were identical page-for-page. Bottom-line: only buy this book if (a) you don't already have a copy or (b) your copy is falling apart. Otherwise, buy another dictionary.

This dictionary is thorough yet easy to understand. It has a small grammar section and a verb chart of 20 pages with approx 200 verbs. The only problem is that the pages in the middle section are pulling away slightly from the binding on my new dictionary (hardly used) For this reason only I can not give 5 stars. I wish the publisher would use a little more gum on the binding.

I bought this dictionary years ago and have been thoroughly satisfied with the purchase ever since. Rarely have I looked up a word and not found it in this book. Its definitions are complete and often contain supplementary phrases and idioms containing the entry. It is a terrific value. The only negative thing I can say is that they do not have a Kindle default dictionary version, which I would buy in a minute. I hope they are working on one!