Customer Reviews

Collins Gem Greek Dictionary Grek, English English, Greek

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

 

 

I own the Collins Italian dictionary and it is great. I love the phrases at the back and the lists in the front, and the small size is convenient for travel. I was hoping for the same in the Collins Gem Greek Dictionary.

I did not realize that this format uses the Greek alphabet. So, in the English-Greek section, rather than having the word spelled phoenetically, showing pronunciation, it gives the translation in greek. If you don't know the Greek alphabet, this one isn't for you.

The Collins Gem GREEK DICTIONARY was first compiled by Harry T. Hionides at some unspecified time. This edition contains the updates by Niki Watts and Helen George-Papageorgiou first published in 1987. These applied to insights of the Bank of English database.

The dictionary is bilingual Greek-English and English-Greek and contains over 65,000 translations. Phonetic transcriptions are given for both English and Greek listings, though the English is in good ol' IPA and the English is in some ad-hoc transcription system. At the end of the book one can find a list of English irregular verbs, and a demonstration of the use of cardinal and ordinal numbers in both English and Greek. The dictionary is thus useful for both Greeks learning English and English-speakers learning Greek.

I've had a 1997 reprinting for a decade now, and while the paper has yellowed somewhat, it has not become brittle and the cover has withstood getting knocked about in my pocket or suitcase. I'd recommend seeking out a copy, it's well represented on the used market.

This dictionary may be small, BUT the information contained therin, is not small at all. For a mini dic, you can find most of the information that you want, and it gives usage, and there is a small grammar guide. if you want a pocket dic, this is a winner!

I'd like to review the "contents" of this book, but I can't see them, even with a magnifying glass!

The subtitle, faintly visible on the picture of the book, but not mentioned in Amazon's text, is, "The best-selling Greek ***mini*** dictionary" (asterisks added). "(M)ini," in this instance, is a misnomer. Micro-mini would be more apt.

Amazon does list the dimensions of this book, but how many of us actually read that information while deciding if a book interests us? Like me, I'm sure you check the price, readers' reviews, availability and whether it's hardcover or paperback.

Even though I'm not able to read this educational book, I have learned one thing: Never again will I shop at Amazon.com without searching for the dimensions of its books, first.

(I've given this book one star, only because Amazon will not accept this review with none.)