Customer Reviews

Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Indexed (Book Only Edition)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is an excellent dictionary if you do not already have an earlier edition, but this is not a new edition. It is an exact reproduction of the 1987 Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition, Unabridged, in a smaller page size, with six and half pages of "new words" in a separate section, and most of the original front matter and supplements (appendices) removed. Many of the "new words" are are new to this dictionary but not to the language, such as "wishing well" and "gematria," which the etymology says first appeared in 1685-95. The CD-ROM is a newer version (3.0) of the software engine than previous editions, but contains the same text as the book, with the "new words" and a few last-minute additions integrated into the main dictionary. In a couple of months, the CD-ROM will be available separately.

As far as I know, there are only three dependable UNABRIDED dictionaries of English language: Oxford, Webster's 3rd, and Random House. And I find RH to be the most practical one of the three. Yes, Oxford and Webster's 3rd are much respected by the scholars for their "nobleness." But Oxford is way too expensive and excessive in content for every-day usage, and Webster's 3rd is too technical to read and unnecessarily descriptive. That leaves us only with Random House. It's not perfect; it requires many improvements as some of other reviewers have mentioned here. But please note, it's the least expensive, the smallest, and the easiest-to-read unabridged dictionary in the market. People shouldn't consider this book as the most incomplete UNABRIDED dictionary but as the most complete ABRIDED dictionary. It combines completeness and convenience in one. This book will be great for people who find abridged dictionaries too weak in information but find unabridged ones too much.

Its etymologies and definitions lack clarity, however--RH should follow American Heritage in these aspects. Then it would be taking one step closer to being "perfect."

This big, heavy, thick volume is quite a good choice for someone looking for a fairly recent (fully revised 1987, compared to the 1961 Webster's 3rd) unabridged dictionary. The "new words" section at the beginning is a nice feature, if not all that practical, covering lots of new technology terms up to the year 2001. Their choices are a bit haphazard - there's an entry for ACE inhibitors, but nothing for MAOI, SSRI, or proton-pump inhibitors. But the new words section is not the point; it's the rest of the text that matters. It covers just about every word from American English you'll ever need, plus a good number of geographical and biographical entries. So why the two star rating? When I received the book, the front cover binding was already torn and separating. I think Random House may have misstepped when they moved from oversize library cloth binding to 9 x 11 hardback. Maybe it was just a printer error, but I think the binding on this volume is just not enough to support the weight of 2,300 thick pages. In addition, the innermost print columns are too close to the inside binding, making 1/3 of the entries difficult to read. I commend Random House for making an unabridged dictionary available at this price point, but if the book can't hold its own weight, it isn't worth it. I'm exchanging mine for a copy of the New Oxford Dictionary of English (available at Amazon UK), which should cover just as many terms, plus international English, in a more manageable size. The New Oxford American Dictionary is a similar alternative for American English.

This is page for page identical to the 1987 edition. All the population figures are from the 1980 census or earlier. Elements 104-107 don't have names. 200 pages of appendices deleted, 6 pages of new words added. Country names and biographical data is updated. Avoid.

I have the Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, the Encarta World English Dictionary, and the American Heritage Talking Dictionary - all on CD. This one is the best. I've encountered several words ("stare decisis" is the most recent) that can only be found in this dictionary. Also, the pronunciation is the best on this CD. The Encarta sounds extremely robotic. And while the American Heritage sounds more human, it's not quite as clear (or as cheerful) as the Random House. If you're trying to decide which CD dictionary to buy among the three that I mentioned, I recommend this one.

The reason that I have three dictionaries is that I'm looking for a particular feature that I have not yet found. I want to construct my own dictionary with my own selected words in hard copy. So, I'd like to maintain a list of words - add them as they are new to me, remove them as they become familiar. Then I'd like to print the complete list with definition, etymology, etc. so that I can have my own custom dictionary. If anyone reading this has any suggestions, please email me at johnwilk@earthlink.net. Thanks.

I bought the version without CD - if you own a Mac, you'll be in the same soup, so give a thought to that. I checked out other dictionaries for weeks, & decided an unabridged was the only way to go for definitive source-checking. If you want a very good, main-source dictionary, this is the cheapest, most-up-to-date one I found. Good news: It has a nice up-front section with all the new words & jargon, so you can check out how the language has changed (or how dictionaries are slow to change!). Bad news: the words are not incorporated into the main body of the dictionary - so if you can't find a new word, you have to flip to the front section. If you remember to. Because it may give you some idea of how important it might be to get an updated dictionary, here are some of the "new" words: timeline, slam (as in poetry), gravitas, green (as in ecologically-minded), bullypulpit.

Bear in mind, I'm one of those who loves to browse a dictionary. Although I'll probably get used to its quirks, I find myself getting frustrated with this dictionary. Some of the definitions are wonderfully informative; many others seem so inadequate you're brought up short, wondering at the rationale. I think the bias is that if it's not a domestic word, you need more help with it & it's given.

And then there's the etymology. It's a better dictionary than most for this, for sure. It tracks the development of the main meaning of the word & gives dates first used in print. OK, but it doesn't tell what some of the other meanings' sources are, the ancillary infusions of sense into our culture's vocabulary. It doesn't give the dates of the other meanings, either. Many, many words have multiple meanings that obviously weren't there in the beginning usage; many words have changed meaning or usage over time. I wish there was brief help in that. (Yes, I do have & use the OED, but that's cumbersome, right? And as far as you're concerned, expensive.)

It's not that you won't be unhappy with this choice; you just won't be satisfied very long.

In comparing this version with the much older MS-DOS based "Random House Webster's Electronic Dictionary and Thesaurus V1.20" I find this newer one to be a major disappointment. The most significant omission is the lack of a phonetic lookup. With the older versions, and with most spelling checkers, it is easy to find a word when the spelling is unknown, not with this one. I have had a terrible time finding words that I can find easily with the MS-DOS version. I also found that some of the definitions have been SHORTENDED from the old version in spite of this one shipping on a CD. A search for "national & parks & utah" misses Zion in the new version but finds it in the old one. This version also lacks Thesaurus functions.

On the plus side, the audible pronunciations are quite a nice feature. The abbility to install the whole thing to the hard drive so the CD is not required is welcome. This also seems to be the only choice for an electronic unabridged dictionary.

I've been using the dictionary for six months,it is the best Webster I've had so far. In contrast to other Websters I have, it gives many examples, has unique, clear usage notes, regional variations,at least two pronunciations at each entry.There is however a spelling mistake in the world"acqiure"-spelled"aquire" in the usage note at "gotten". I have found all the words I needed, but not all the meanings. At the entry "skite"the British meaning-'play hooky' is not given, but it is a dictionary of American English. It is very useful for the learners of English like myself. Phrasal verbs are in bold, all their meanings are given and the layout is clear.Using the book each time may really be time consuming,and the CD version does not include all the senses that are in the book.. still worth buying...

This dictionary is of course very complete and easy to you. It gives you a number of ways to find a word including wildcards, Boolean searches, definition searches, and of course a good old A-Z search. What I found particularly useful was the 120,000+ audio pronunciations. Frankly, phonetic spelling has always given me a headache, especially with words like "ennui". I also found the spot maps and illustrations helpful. What's more, you can run this dictionary without the CD-ROM in the drive. (providing you are willing to give up a couple of the bells and whistles)

The only thing I really don't like about this software is that it is a full on pain in the neck to get it to function as your Word Dictionary. (even thought it is supposed to) This could possibly been alleviated by at least some rudimentary instructions. There are some on the CD, but they are vague at best. Oh well, not a perfect world.

All in all a good product for what it does, although I must admit I do miss the weight of a hardcover unabridged dictionary..

Always being somewhat of a logophile, I have always liked big, all-encompassing dictionaries--and this one will NOT disappoint those among us who have a keen interest in the English language. Not only does it contain virtually every word conceivable, but has definitions that are more complete (more defintions for EACH word) than other books, and many words contain a helpful list of synonyms with a concise explanation of nuances in meaning. The book seems to have only one disadvantage: it is truly a tome, (tipping the scales at 13 lbs!) and looking up words quickly becomes a physical burden, practically requiring to have its own stand. Having it published in two volumes, however, would render this fine work nearly flawless!