Customer Reviews

The New American Crossword Puzzle Dictionary: Revised Edition (Signet)

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

 

 

Although I'm sad to see the New American Dictionary has not been revised since 1986, I am buying a new copy since I found this to be absolutely the best crossword puzzle dictionary. The cat ate the front and back pages off of my old one (my fault for leaving the catnip package to close to it!), so I guess I'll have to part with it and get a new one. It's categories section is the best and includes categories such as: The Bible, famous names, foreign words, geography, mythology, presidential information and more. It's a must to help find the answers for those last empty boxes!

I purchased the latest edition of the dictionary edited by Albert & Loy Morehead to replace an edition I had purchased in the 1970's. I cannot state what edition it was because the first 13 pages have been worn away by continual use. That edition was absolutely fantastic. The new edition (1986) is still good but somewhat disappointing because many "Categories" have been omitted and placed in a section named "Definitions and Answers" where they are not readily observable. For example, some of the categories I found helpful but which are no longer situated in the "Categories" section are: Anatomy and Health; Arms and Armor; Food & Drink; Lakes, Seas, Gulfs, Bays; Mountains & Volcanoes; Bridges & Dams; Natural History (many subcategories) Measures & Weights; Money & Coins; Tools & Implements; Wearing Apparel; Music Terms & Instruments; and some others. All in all, the dictionary is still great and I recommend it as a valuable addition to a puzzle solvers collection.

I use this in conjunction with the Dell Crossword Dictionary and find them complimentary. It has a nice category section, especially the geography section of rivers and cities, and the suggestions for some clues (i.e. animals, flowers, fish, and stars and constellations) is more extensive than many other dictionaries. While the word clues for three and four letter words is extensive, I find it a bit awkward to use. This dictionary shows much evidence of use in my hands and is well worthwhile.

This volume replaces the very old one we discovered among my husband's mother's effects after her death. It was missing the covers, torn and falling apart, but we used it extensively for several years. Finally, I decided to see if it was still available and was delighted to find it on Amazon.com. No Crossword Dictionary gives you all the information you need to access in one book but this one comes very close, with lots of lists that I have yet to see in other books.

This book has helped alot when I am working the crossword puzzles in my newspaper or the like.

I really happy with this book. It was just what he wanted. I gave it as a gift and he uses it every day.

I was very disappointed in this book. It does not go into detail. I don't use it very much because I know I can't find detailed info in it. I would not recommend a purchase of this book.