Customer Reviews

Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language

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3 star:		(1)
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This has been my trusted dictionary since 1979, when all high school freshmen were required to own it. It's a great achievement in American lexicography, providing a generous, comperehensive, and suprisingly durable listing of current American language. The familiarly readable clear type and single alphabetical listing that includes biographical, geographical, proper name, and abbreviation entries accompanies a sober and solidly thorough listing of virtually every word you would want to know in American English. It includes newer contributions from science, technology, slang, and does a brilliant job in giving exciting, yet accurate entymologies and definitions with all their shades of meaning. I have been a liftime reader and when I took the GRE's I scored above the 99th percentile in the verbal section: I attribute much of my success in verbal skills to this well-made, wonderful hardcover dictionary.

The best dicionary ever printed. Contains words other dictionaries seem to have forgotten. I have had mine since 1987 and my daughter wants one for Christmas. I cannot believe they no longer publish this.

This dictionary is very controversial. it was one of the

first Truly Indigenous Dictionary's for the American 'Multi-

lingual' Continental Social Experiment. Unfortunately, just

like your Neighborhood Buddies who are just learning about the

wonderfully "diverse" Experience of Neighborhood shopping in the

proximity of Home at something as seemingly "benign" as

WalGreen's Pharmacy... ...even Dictionary Editor's have to live

in the Real World. The Editorial Staff of The New World

Publishing House apparently came under some pretty "Heavy-

Handed" 'advice' ...after the first Edition (c)1953 became

widely circulated. My edition has not what i would call

"Comprehensive" but sufficient, and adequate references to

all words with ties directly to Greek Mythology. Many of these

have been confused and watered down in later editions. (In some

Dictionaries... ...learning anything foundational about Western

History from looking up Greek Figures is hopelessly

complicated.) If you can find a first Edition... ...you may

find the Adlai Stevensen Campaign Insert interesting.