Customer Reviews

Random House Webster's College Dictionary with CD-ROM (Random House Webster's College Dictionary (W/CD))

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

 

 

I've known and used this dictionary for decades. It has always been
reliable in its precise definitions which have seldom left me in the lurch, even when looking for very specific meanings on different levels of style and in the most common variants of the English language. The striking, outstanding feature of the 2001 edition is that it has assumed a shiny white quality in its paper, which makes it more attractive, adds up to its qality and design.
All previous editions have also been to the point and accurate in their indepth-going knowledge and more than sufficient etymology,
yet due to their rather dull-looking, greyish paper colour they were simply not half as tasty as this one is. Therefore I think it's just a lot more enjoyable. It's an incentive to you in so many respects and just invites you to read more and more.

One negative aspect, however, is that unfortunately it hasn't been updated so that it would be up to scratch, so to speak. The
CD-ROM, which is included in this edtion and is dated to the year
2004, doesn't contain any other words - as far as I could find out - than the very print version. So this is a bit misleading, and I was slightly upset, if not irritated, upon receiving the dictionary with the CD-ROM after having believed what was promised to me on the webpage: a completely revised and updated encyclopedic dictionary. What a disappointment when the long-desired volume arrived!
Yet what made up for it was the new stylish quality it's been touched up with.

Useful to most common readers who need precise meanings and not worrying about other issues, like example sentencese, phrases, idioms so and so. The best feature is not only its sharp meanings but pronunciation. Unlike the modern dictionaries, it uses very simple, easy to understand and get the sound by looking at the keys. No magic. With such simple keys, you don't need an expensive purchase that has all pronunciation sounds. You can pronunce it correctly 90% of the time.

This 2005 edition (ISBN:0375426000) has an error in print (on page 1424-1425).The definition of "zip" was almost completely erased and just left a meaning about computer files. What a blunder! I sincerely hope Random House would correct this "bug" while reprinting or reissuing.