Roget's International Thesaurus (Harper colophon books) [Paperback]

Robert L Chapman (Author, Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1990 | Series: Harper colophon books (Book 1169)

A classic reference book that has been used by millions all over the world, Roget's International Thesaurus is the product of more than a century and a half of continuous expansion, reorganization, and improvement. Today, this book is not only the most time-tested and bestselling thesaurus ever, but, newly revised, it is also the most up-to-dateand comprehensive reflection of theEnglish language as it is currently used.

The revolutionary achievement of Dr. Peter Mark Roget's first edition in 1852 was the development of a brand-new principle: the arrangement of words and phrases according to their meanings. Dr. Roget's system brings together in one place all the terms associated with a single thought or concept; it allows a wide-ranging survey of language within a book of relatively modest size, without the space-consuming repetitions that so severely limit the scope of thesauruses arranged in a dictionary format with A-to-Z entries. This brilliant organization makes Roget's International Thesaurus both the most efficient word finder and a cutting-edge aid in stimulating thought, organizing ideas, and writing and speaking more clearly and effectively.

This revised and updated sixth edition features thousands of new words and phrases, including the newest slang words and expressions that color and inform everyday language. At the same time, it retains all of the hallmarks that have made Roget's international Thesaurus an enduring classic:

• More than 330,000 words and phrases organized into 1,075 categories.

• A pinpoint reference system that directs the user quickly from a comprehensive index to the numbered category of the right word. Thousands of cross-references throughout lead to other helpful categories.

• Hundreds of supplemental word lists that supply the names of things which have no synonyms (measurements, wines, weapons, animals, state mottoes, and more) as well as hundreds of quotations that amplify the meanings of selected words.

Generations of students, writers, editors, and speakers have made Roget's the most popular word reference book next to the dictionary. Continuing a legacy that dates back more than 150 years, Roget's International Thesaurus is an indispensable work for everyone who wants to use the English language with clarity and precision.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Barbara Ann Kipfer is a lexicographer and reviser of Roget's International Thesaurus, as well as author of 14,000 Things to Be Happy About.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1341 pages
• Publisher: Grafton; 4th edition (December 31, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060911697
• ISBN-13: 978-0060911690
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,302,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

168 of 172 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for anyone who uses the English language, July 18, 2000

By 

GM Rieker - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Roget International Thesaurus Index 5E (Roget's International Thesaurus Indexed) (Hardcover)

When I was a freshman in college, my creative writing instructor insisted that we buy this book. Really, it has been the most useful, most-used book in my entire library--even surpassing my OED. As a professional writer, it is invaluable--I CANNOT write without it. I have one for home and work, and wish they made a portable edition to keep in my car.

Don't waste your money and time buying a thesaurus in dictionary form. In this edition, the words are grouped categorically by meaning, so you can find all the subtle variations and neighbors of "happy."

Every poet and writer should have one of these.

This makes a great gift for college students.

127 of 133 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forget an alphabetically organized thesaurus, July 1, 2001

By 

Joseph G. Murray (Waterford, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Roget's International Thesaurus (5th Edition) (Library Binding)

Although one's search begins with an alphabetized listing, the main body of this thesaurus (its original concept) is organized by category. This means that to find a synonym for e.g., "trouble", you will not simply be presented a list all the possible meanings of the word but you can choose your search depending upon the sense you are looking for. If you mean "annoyance" you will be sent one place for synonyms (nouns, verbs, adj, adv); if your meaning is more "presume upon" you will be sent somewhere else. In the case of "trouble" there are about a dozen places to go in the thesaurus depending upon the subtlety of meaning you are looking for. If you are a writer, this reference work is a sine qua non. Look no further than here for the best thesaurus in the world.

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly fabulous book., December 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Roget's International Thesaurus (Hardcover)

This book will make you think about words in a way that you never have before. It is an absolute must for anyone who endeavors to communicate well in the English language.

If you can think of a word to start out with, but want to search for a better one, you can look the word up in the alphabetically arranged index. There, you will find listed several different faces of the word, some representing subtle variations in the word's meaning that you may have never considered before. Then, after thinking about what aspect of the word most closely resembles your intended meaning, you can look up the word's various implications in the main body of the book. There, you'll discover a plethora of other words of similar meaning.

You'll find the body of the book organizes all of human experience into categories..."the body and the senses", "feelings", "place", "measure and shape", etc.. If you want to describe something intangible, such as an emotion, and cannot even think of one word to begin with, you can wander through the categories of human emotion... pleasure, excitement, contentment... sadness, regret, lamentation...until you find what you are trying to describe. This process helps stimulate thought about exactly what you want to say. A merely alphabetical thesaurus could never offer anything like this.