The Macmillan Visual Dictionary: 3,500 Color Illustrations, 25,000 Terms, 600 Subjects [Hardcover]

Jean-Claude Corbeil (Author), Ariane Archambault (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0025281607 | ISBN-13: 978-0025281608 | Publication Date: October 14, 1992 | Edition: 1

The Macmillan Visual Dictionary is one of the most valuable reference tools available, the only dictionary to allow you to see what you are looking up and to look up what you are seeing. Now the Unabridged Compact Edition offers the portability and affordability of a paperback yet remains every bit as comprehensive and gloriously detailed as the original hardcover. Whether you are interested in the parts of a cathedral or the components of a space suit, this unique reference tool is as useful as it is inviting, as invaluable to learning as it is fun to browse.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With thousands of intricate and colorful illustrations presented in a browser-friendly paperback format, the new compact edition of The Macmillan Visual Dictionary is an easily portable follow-up to the popular hardback version. The dictionary connects each phrasing, key word, or key words to a grouping of finely detailed and descriptive pictures, all formatted into a series of sections assembled in an easy-to-follow index at the beginning of the book. With a depth that includes 12 kinds of mushrooms and 4 types of billiards, the Visual Dictionary also manages to keep a wide enough focus so that most anyone interested in contemporary life will find a section or two to capture their eye and attention--whether they're painstakingly searching the book for help with a research paper, tracking down a contested fact, or peering through the many vivid drawings for pure pleasure. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-- Clear, explicit drawings and diagrams provide either exterior views or labeled cutaways of a variety of objects. The entries are arranged in broad subject categories with a color-coded bar on the page to facilitate browsing, but some of the colors are very similar. Many subject areas are covered: geography, architecture, anatomy, plants, animals, satellites, etc. The last section, symbols, provides easy access for some of those hard to find reference questions. The table of contents lists the 28 categories and the types of items illustrated. The index provides access when one knows the term and wants to identify its use. Browsing is addictive: students will eagerly seek out sections on weapons, transportation, and sports. An important source that helps to fill a gap in most collections--there are many word dictionaries, but very few pictorial ones.
- Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 864 pages
• Publisher: Webster's New World; 1 edition (October 14, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0025281607
• ISBN-13: 978-0025281608
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 7.6 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #161,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars quite a valuable resource!, April 6, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Macmillan Visual Dictionary: 3,500 Color Illustrations, 25,000 Terms, 600 Subjects (Hardcover)

This past summer, I worked as a private tutor of English as a Second Language for students from Burma. While their English was rapidly improving, there still remained items which were virtually indescribable--it was difficult to match exactly their Burmese language with its English equivalents. We worked extensively on all aspects of the English language--from grammar, to comprehension, to writing and reading--yet a gap between our understandings of each other was still unfilled. I searched, desperately, for some educational tool or text which could facilitate our mutual learning; and to my relief, I discovered The MacMillan Visual Dictionary. I purchased it for my students as a gift, yet I found myself--a speaker of English for all my life--entirely fascinated and curious to discover the vast array of terms and items of which I had previously been ignorant! From all of the minute parts of an oceanliner, to styles of clothing, to biological terms of plants and animals, this book contained huge quantities of information which I had once known but had forgotten--or of which I was previously unaware. My students were thrilled with their present--to see their smiles when they discovered how easily this reference tool facilitated their acquisition of English vocabulary was extremely rewarding. I must emphasize, though, that this text is not simply--in the least--for those to whom English is a second language; there is something here for everyone. All those little nuances and intricacies of life, which we would always like to describe or identify but are unable--here they are named; here they are defined. This book is an invaluable tool for everyone to use; whether it be to learn more about the complex parts of the automobile, to identify weather systems, to describe a style of scarf or name the coating of a crayfish's body--for anyone who is a lover of language, words, and naming, this book provides endless amounts of knowledge.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Tool For Fiction Writers, November 2, 2002

By 

Stacey Cochran (Raleigh, NC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Macmillan Visual Dictionary (Paperback)

This book has over 800 pages of visual items and then arrows that point to them and tell you what they're called. For example, on one two page spread an entire passenger liner ship is drawn with all the names of all the rooms and terraces and parts and compenents. just looking at the drawing inspires a mystery set aboard a cruise ship! Chapter Headings include "Astronomy" "Geography" "Farming" "Architecture" "House" "House Furniture" "Gardening" "Clothing" "Communications" "Road Transport" "Rail Transport" "Air Transport" "Weapons", and many, many more.

This an excellent tool and I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to know their way around places you might not already know your way around!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whatchamacallitt on the thingamajig., March 25, 2002

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Macmillan Visual Dictionary: 3,500 Color Illustrations, 25,000 Terms, 600 Subjects (Hardcover)

I used to design publications and what I love about this book is the amazing quality of the color illustrations. There are thousands of them and they have all been computer generated so the style and quality is uniform. Looking at the spreads, for example, on Airport, Downtown or Wind Instruments and the time and creativity involved must have been tremendous. The design and printing of the book is excellent.

The authors want this book to be as practical as possible, Indoor Games includes a page on hands of cards, a House Furniture page shows six different spoons.

Another reviewer has noted that this lovely book would seem ideal for those learning American English and also for anyone who is just interested in finding out the name of everyday items.

A similar treatment to words can be seen in the Dorling Kindersley 'Visual Encyclopedia' (at a very much cheaper price) here the images are mostly photos and as the name implies there is a lot more information about each subject.

Both books are a joy to look at and unfortunately this only points up the bland design and production of most other highly visual books.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.