Random House Webster's Word Menu (Random House Newer Words Faster) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Part thesaurus, part dictionary, part glossary, part vocabulary builder, part logophile's delight, this unique wordbook can be used productively for both quick reference and browsing. The book, which first appeared as a software product for PCs under the title Inside Information (Microlytics, 1990), classifies approximately 65,000 words into seven general categories (Nature, Science and Technology, Domestic Life, Arts and Leisure, etc.), which in turn are divided into numerous subcategories and sub-subcategories. Under Eating, for instance, a major subdivision of Domestic Life, the user finds several headings, including Foods, Cooking and Cuisine, and Eating Verbs; under the last heading, such terms as bolt , chew , chow down , devour , engorge , inhale , masticate , pig out , and quaff are briefly defined. A detailed table of contents provides access to the classification scheme and an A-Z index lists all words included in the book. Sometimes the Word Menu fails. Just two examples: superlatives such as best, first-class, outstanding, topnotch, and world class are not included, nor is amniocentesis found under Pregnancy and Birth. Notwithstanding its limitations, this book is enthusiastically recommended for all libraries, even the smallest. Glazier, a brilliant amateur lexicographer who died in early 1992 at age 44, has created the first bona fide classification of the English language since the 19th century, when Peter Mark Roget, another talented amateur, made a lasting name for himself.
- Ken Kister, author of "Best Encyclopedias," Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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"Stephen Glazier. . . was a modern Roget."
--William Safire, The New York Times -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Random House Reference; Revised edition (July 21, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375700838
• ISBN-13: 978-0375700835
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #711,259 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most powerful word references in the world, October 5, 2002

By	C.S. Haviland "CSHaviland.com" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Random House Webster's Word Menu (Mass Market Paperback)

I do not write without it. Together with J.I. Rodale's The Synonym Finder and DK's Ultimate Visual Dictionary it completes the Trinity of word desk references. If you are trying to decide between this book, Facts on File's Descriptionary, and Writer's Digest's Flip Dictionary, go with this book. I have all three and I use Word Menu 40 times to every one time I use either Flip Dictionary or Descriptionary, both of which are trying to do the same thing. Flip Dictionary comes close, and tries to do things a little differently, but Word Menu is my preference.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of its kind, August 18, 2004

By	T. Burger (Chicago) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

There are many different books that categorize words in a similar fashion as this book, but none do it as efficiently. This is simply the best of its kind, and I find myself using this regularly in my own writing.

It's impossible to be an expert on everything, or to remember every word that you've ever heard in your life. With this book, you'll be able to find and identify the words that are germane to the topic you're writing on, even if you won't know how to use them. For example, under Technology|Computers|Hardware and Peripherals, the acronym IRQ is listed. It's defined as an "Interrupt Request Line, a setting that controls communication of peripheral devices with the CPU". Now, that's one of the clearest definitions of an IRQ that I've ever come across in such few words, but seeing it there doesn't tell you how to use it. You'll still have some homework to do.

HOWEVER, if you need something like a title of rank, and are wondering what the proper term for the prime minister of an East Indian state is, you'll not only find it here, but be able to use it immediately. (The word, by the way, is Dewan.)

There are so many categories and subcategories that the scope of the book is daunting. I personally can't imagine putting it together, but am grateful that it was.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indespensible, July 12, 2000

By	Deborah A. Woehr (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Has anyone heard of Eschatology? I hadn't until my writing instructor used that word in a letter he sent to me. Baffled, I looked it up in the Webster's Dictionary, but didn't find it. I checked with The Synonym Finder, but it wasn't listed there either. Finally, I turned to this book and found it in the table of contents. Eschatology is the study of afterlife.This book has been a godsend for me as a creative writer. There were times when I was writing a scene and couldn't think of a word to describe something or a term I couldn't remember. Most of the time, I found what I was looking for in these pages.Word Menu is broken down into four parts. Part One deals with Nature­­The human body, living things, and the earth. Chapter One (The Human Body) is then divided into five subcategories­­Anatomy, Medical Problems, Health/Fitness/Enhancement, Hair and Grooming, Phsyical Appearance. Under these, you will find hundreds of definitions, terms, and cross-references.This dictionary covers everything from everyday items, customs, religions, etc. to the obscure and strange. For example, Eschatology. Word Menu is an indespensible tool for any type of writer, student, or anyone who wants to learn something.