not a day goes by that i don't kick myself for leaving this book behind in my old apartment. not a day goes by that i don't wonder where our expressions and phrases come from, and this book explains the origin of them all. as a matter of fact I would "BEND OVER BACKWARDS (??)" to get it.

I am an international student. I think this book helps me doing better in writing coz it's got many synonyms and antonyms. Another good thing about the book is that every word has it's own example (telling me where in sentence i should put this word and how i should use it). It's a pretty useful.

In the library, I did a side-by-side comparison of this book (Chapman: Dictionary of American Slang, 3rd ed., 1995) with: (a) Spears, Richard: NTC's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions, 3rd ed., 2000 and (b) Green, Jonathon: Cassell Dictionary of Slang, 1998. The advantages of this dictionary over the other two are: (1) some words and phrases are in this book but not the other two (e.g., "love bug," "love me, love my dog"); (2) it gives specific quotations and sources (e.g., "Had Feldstein deliberately low-balled the original numbers? - Newsweek"); (3) it indicates what sort of people originated or might use the word/phrase (e.g. "lot louse... [used in the] circus"); and (4) thorough cross-references are integrated into the body of the dictionary (e.g., "love, see CALF LOVE, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, PUPPY LOVE"). It has 617 pages and claims to have 19,000 entries, which is between the other two books. On the other hand, the Cassell Dictionary contains a large percentage of the entries in this book as well as many more entries, and it's the oldest of the three dictionaries. Still, if you had to buy only one of the three, this is probably the one to get.

The book seems not as "eduactional" as other heritage or historical dictionaries proclaimed to be but it is really of great help to a non-native American speaker, like me, who from Taiwan to get indepth of American ways of life. Whenever I run across an expression in American movies or TV sit-coms, not very often I fail to get the satisfactory explanation with the detailed notes and usages. Therefore I picked up expressions such as: refrigerator mother, fag, net-sex, digital sex and so forth, that frequently used in American movie lines or even in real life but taken to be the "taboo words" in English-Chinese dictionary. Slangs have no any color of offensivenss but depends on how people use them. It is a pity for the international lanuages learners if they think the slang is not good enough to pick up. Once you have a command of slang, you will be really into lives of slang users

This dictionary is an absolute must-have for every writer, fiction or nonfiction. We haven't found a better slang dictionary yet. It has virtually all the slang words in there, words that you just won't find anywhere else. One of the very nice and helpful features is that it tells you in what year the word was used first and susequently, and in which publication (book or newspaper, etc.), and how the meaning changed over the course of the decades. The dictionary also has sentence examples on how the word was used, e.g. in which context, so you know exactly when and how to use it in your applications. It's just very interesting to find out the original meaning and usage of certain slang words and to enrich your own vocabulary. We highly recommend it!

I really like this dictionary. It gives definitions in a concise and direct way, using ordinary language that does not bury you in complexities as other more advanced dictionaries can. It does not have derivations, but it does have a very good pronounciation key and usage index. It also has the words in bold type standing out against the normal type of the definitions, making it easy to find words you are looking for fast. I highly recommend this edition for anyone new to the english language as well. It is simply a great dictionary.

no dictionary is perfect, that's just how language is. but i've used several dictionaries, and not one of them is worthy of the excellent definitions in this book i used to steal from my roommate. it's not all that slang-ful, but every beautiful word is made more so with the understanding this dictionary provides. you may not understand the passion until you experience it. words are sacred.

The _Oxford American Dictionary_ , edited by Dr. Eugene Ehrlich, et al., is the best paperback American English dictionary. Even though the reissue edition of this dictionary is almost twenty years old, I consider it to be the best because it has excellent usage notes sprinkled among the usual definitions of words. Here is an entry with a note on usage: "hope•ful•ly (hohp'-ful-lee) 'adv.' 1. in a hopeful way. 2. it is to be hoped, 'hopefully, we shall be there by one o'clock.' > Many people regard the second use as unacceptable."

According to the editors, this dictionary "contains words and phrases likely to be met in reading and everyday life, including a number of slang, informal, and technical words and phrases." Many proper nouns, common foreign words, and abbreviations are defined, too. I suggest its purchase to university students for classroom use because this dictionary is small enough to be carried in a backpack. Students of English as a foreign language find its pronunciation guides easy to use. Others find it quite handy to keep nearby, in offices and homes, as a quick reference when writing or reading.

Highly recommended!

The Random House Webster's College Thesaurus, although somewhat thin, is an excellent resource, ranking among the highest. Most words in the English language have multiple meanings, converse forms, similar sounds and spellings in relation to other words, and outlandish synonyms ranging from before the Twelfth century through the Ninties. This thesaurus is not limited to only older words, terms, and phrases: but also contains slang and many new words and terms. It supplies a brief but adequate sentence for each listed word, phrase, and term, as well as for their different forms (i.e. adverbs, nouns, verbs, etc.) to sufficiently define their uses. I also enjoy the fact that this thesaurus lists antonyms, for sometimes I can think of a word, but I can't think of the word that I need, which is the exact opposite. In todays fast-paced world, everyone wants things simple and fast. Another exceptional advantage to owning this thesaurus is that it allows the reader to find what they need without searching for hours, using countless dictionaries and thesaurus's, laid out on their table. Although this thesaurus doesn't meet the criteria to qualify as the best thesaurus, it certainly exceeds the standards set by persons such as myself. I highly recommend adding this book to your personal library.

If you wonder synonyms or antonyms of any word, you should have this book. It is really helpful. It has also example sentences to explain the usage of the words.

My copy is nearly a year and a half old, and amazingly, looks "almost new". Of everything I own, it's the only item that gets abuse, and abuse it gets. It gets dropped, laid open with other books on top of it, etc. I use it constantly. I must. I'm a terrible speller.

Rarely do I look up a word that's not included (and I look up some obscure ones !), and it has lots of extras. The "New Words" section is funny. It has everything from "Abs" to "Yada-yada-yada"..."Guide for Writers" (I should read that someday !)..."Avoiding Insensitive and Offensive Language" for the politically correct out there..."Glossary of Business Terms" if you need to figure out the fine print on a document, and much more.

The words entries are in a bold clear print, making them easy to find, and the quality of the paper is excellent and of a good thickness (I have many dictionaries with paper so thin the print on the reverse side is visible).
It's a sturdy little volume, ideal for daily use, and it's bright red and yellow cover makes it a cheerful one too.

With 60,000 entries and fine clear typeface this 7 X 4-1/4 X 1-3/4 portable is just the ticket for the reading table. Its beautiful glossy, dark red cover makes it a nice accent piece as well.

Unfortunately it does not travel well, since the cover and binding can not take much abuse. For the briefcase and the beach, the Langenscheidt Pocket Merriam-Webster (also 60,000 entries) with its slightly smaller size, sturdy binding, and flexible yellow plastic cover is better suited.

This informative book tells of various disasters from the annals
of history. It gives brief descriptions and facts regarding the black plague,the massacre of the waldensians,peasant uprisings,the eruption of mount aetna,the fire of Rome,anti-semitic riots etc.
The real horror or tragedy of such events is unconvicingly made light of by the author's humorous comments.
If the author or authors had a better talent for comedy or jokes then it would be more bearable but their sense of humor is bland to say the least.
For those who are not into heavy detailed historical accounts this book would be recommended.
I would consider this book more an example of pop history as oppose to a serious historical study.
For the morbid who are fascinated with death and disaster this would also be highly recommended.

All please note that the Galveston hurricane occurred on Sept. 8, 1900, and not May 8, like the book says.

This makes me wonder exactly how accurate the rest of the book, which is pretty entertaining and reads like a daily newspaper (death, destruction, dismay), actually is.

Simply put The Pessimist's Guide to History is a reference book to all of the astrocities that this world has endured over the last 18 billion years or so...Very entertaining to say the least.I had a hell of a time with this book.It starts off with the creation of the universe 18 billion years ago...aka the BIG BANG...and continues into everything from the JFK assissination to the horrible...horrible Khmer Rouge clashes in Cambodia...details just about EVERYTHING imaginable...including a killer quake in china that killed 830,000 people!!!Very informative,and intresting...simply put this is a must own book...would also make a excellent coffee table book to show off to youre friends...very impressive...A must read in my humble opinion...

Do NOT--repeat, NOT--buy "Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary, Special Second Edition" ISBN 679450262, [RHCUD-SSE] unless what you really want is the accompanying CD-ROM version 2.0. The hardcopy book is a shabby and disappointing substitute for "Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition" ISBN 679429174 [RHUD-SE], but the CD-ROM is a vast improvement over earlier versions. If all you want is the CD-ROM you can purchase it separately from Random House (1-800-793-2665) or its outlets for $20.

Oddity#1: the CD-ROM title is "Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary," ISBN 67944998.

RHCUD-SSE is slightly smaller (1 inch in height and 3/4 inch in width) than RHUD-SE, due to smaller type and narrower gutters. The paper is darker and of poorer quality, book construction is inferior, and there are 8 thumb notches instead of 15. RHCUD-SSE lacks the 32-page colored World Atlas of RHUD-SE, as well as the portion of the 200-page supplement of the latter containing a list of colleges and universities and small foreign language dictionaries (Spanish, French, Italian and German). RHCUD-SSE does not have the front and rear end papers of RHUD-SE, although they are listed on its Contents page.

The text on the back of the RHCUD-SSE dust jacket says, in big type, "Nothing Removed," but this is at best misleading since the following small type says "complete vocabulary" and just ignores the important deletions noted above.

Additions in RHCUD-SSE include 1000 new words (isolated in an 8-page addendum at the front of the book), and a section on Avoiding Sexism in the Manual of Style. The latter has hints such as rewriting sentences to use "they" in place of "he," and asking a female thespian if she prefers to be referred to as "actor" or "actress." (God help the people who wrote this section if they ever run into Katharine Hepburn!)

Oddity #2: neither this dictionary nor any of the others I have looked into includes the word that won the 1997 Spelling Bee, "euonym."

The CD-ROM version 2.0 integrates nicely with Windows 95. It does about the same things version 1.0 did, but it does them in the Windows 95 style--which I consider a great improvement. More importantly, it contains over 2000 line drawings and offers spoken pronunciation of 120,000 of its 315,000 words (sound card required)--features completely lacking in version 1.0.

In sum, the programmers did a good job; the publishers, bookmakers and advertising copywriters did a poor one.

There are many versions of this product. Mine has two ISBN's 0-679-45019-X for the CD-Rom component and 0-679044998-1 for the Software package. It is based on the 2nd Printed Edition with a copyright 1996. Recently I acquired the 'Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictinary.' I was able to put it through its paces by seeimg how easily I was able to solve crossword puzzles in an old "Giant Crossword Puzzle Book" from the New York Times' Will Weng, editor. I am not very good so normally I use the big "The Master Crossword Puzzle Dictionary' by Herbert M. Raus. This is an excellent reference in and of itself but availabilty over the year has not be consistent. Barnes and Noble, the bookstore is the publisher and distributor. I was able to also compare the Random House with Softkey's version of the "The American Heritage Dictionary" (AHD). I also have dictionaries on my Britannica and Worldbook CD's but the search engine for these dictionaries is simply 'enter the word'. The Random House may be the second largest dictionary, second to the full OED, at least until Oxford comes out with the New Shorter OED on CD this Spring (1997). It has far more words than the American Heritage as well as more meanings per word. It is a good collection of geographic, biographical and botanical references. It has etymologies, the AHD does not. Most words have a speaker icon which gives either a male or femaie voice (only one per word). Some animal, plant and boat words have line diagrams that are resizeable and savable.The Random House's main screen is itself resizable unlike the American Heritage(AHD). The Random House has five 'Search types'. Anagrams will allow you to cheat at scrabble on the PC. 'View History' is a list of words (1-100 default 20) you have looked up which is maintained in a file. The AHD has a similar list but starts from scratch at startup. More useful are the remaining three modes. 'Browse on Index' gives you a list of words which is refined as you type in letters. The Browse list appears in a narrow word list subscreen to the left and the right is a wider definition of the either the first word found or the last one you clicked on before entering another letter. You control the relative size of these subscreens and Preferences provides for an alternate vertical layout. 'Search on Main entry' requires you to enter an entire word and gives just that one definition unless you enter wildcards: ? for a single letter, * for one or more. Then, it creates a list of all qualifying words. Now, if you mistype and that sequence of letters is not a word, you get a word list of possible words. This is quite nice. The first letter of the suggested words are not all from the first letter you typed. Still better (and here RH is superior to the AHD) you can spell the word as it is pronounced and the correctly spelled suggestion appears. For example, both 'koopon' and 'kyoopon' will give you 'coupon' and a few other words. Finally we come to 'Search on Definitions'. You can search on either phrases surrounded by quotes or single words connected by booleans but not both. That is you cannot do a search like: "in the recent past" & time. In this case, actually: recent & past is more useful selecting one entry the phrase 'ancient history'. The booleans can be grouped and you can select the connectors with the mouse from a list that includes '&', '|', '!' '(..}', wild cards ?, * and quotes. You refine a list of anded words and specify that they appear within n-words of each other. Case sensitivity and a few other 'filters' are available. The main entry, the word itself, is part of the search unless you turn it off in the Filter screen. The problem is way too many false positives. The definitions are from the printed edition so there is no expectation for a computer. Otherwise, the same phrasology for the same meaning might have been used. Another possibile improvement is to be able to filter by length of word as you can under the search from Main entry when you enter single letter wildcards. Still another is the ability to do a search on the results of the previous search. Actually, this is an area for some experimentation. One thought I had was to create a Thesaurus that had every word in the dictionary. You could then select the one definition of one word and the implied thesaurus would generate the word list. Cross-references to other lists would be appear in a sub-screen. Perhaps, on DVD, the same thesaurus could index a dictionary of quoatations as well. The AHD comes with a thesaurus but it has few words than the dictionary. For example, the dictionary has quizzical but not the thesaurus. Enter 'odd' and you get the list of words that is close. The AHD has a 'word hunter' that compares with the Random House's Search on Definitions but, of course, having fewer words, you often come up empty, e.g. animals and plants, geographic locations, biographies, gods and godesses. On the other hand, except for restaurants and aquariums. Its small size and price can be a plus. I work with the Random House with the CD online to avoid using up hard disk space. The AHD I run from disk and it searches faster partly do to size of course. The Baus crossword puzzle is the equal to both dictionaries and the Britannica as a puzzle solver. Who does what it would be on CDROM. Crossword puzzle dictionaries deserve more recogniztion. I suspect most have not been constructed by lexicographers. Their organization is a combination of a synonym finder and keyword encylopedia. Many entries are by topic. For example, if you look up 'Fowl' you get a list of synonyms, the entries under subtopics: castrated, coop, crested, disease, domestic breed, male, small, stuffed, etc. The subtopics were extracted from puzzle clues so they turn out to be very useful.

I write long legal documents for a living. This dictionary is in my lap daily. It is known in my office as "Big Blue" in referance to the IBM super computer. You cant find a better workable dictionary.