Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary by Merriam-Webster Inc., Merriam-Webster

From the Publisher

America's best-selling dictionary! An oversized, leather-look version with larger print. More than 215,000 clear and precise definitions, 700 illustrations, and up-to-date coverage of words. Special sections including a Handbook of Style.

Library Journal

Despite a change in title, this volume supersedes Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (1983) as the latest in a nearly 100-year-old line of college desk diction aries from Merriam-Webster. New editions in this series have appeared about every ten years since 1898. The tenth edition documents the changes in the language of the past decade with an additional 10,000 new meanings and words. It continues and expands the feature of "usage paragraphs'' introduced in the ninth edition. These short essays explain how problem words are used in the language; thorny words and phrases such as irregardless , forte (one syllable or two?), hone in on , alright vs. all right , and hundreds more are given special attention. There is no retreat here from the descriptive philosophy that made Webster's Third New International Dictionary so controversial. This edition describes and illuminates use without labeling right and wrong. The comprehensive vocabulary presents a thoughtful mix of the new and the old. As in the previous edition, there are separate appendixes of abbreviations, foreign words and phrases, biographical names, geographical names, signs and symbols, and a handbook of style. To make room for new words, the appendix list of colleges and universities present in the ninth edition has been deleted. The inclusion of a first date of use for almost every entry is another welcome innovation. The dictionary is printed on good, heavy paper; the type is sharp although the pages are tightly packed to the point of being cramped. The binding of the deluxe edition is durable and sturdy. This is one of the (if not the ) best among the college dictionaries; recommended for all libraries large and small. Other good choices are Random House Webster's College Dictionary (1991) and Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language (1988). For those wanting a more prescriptive college dictionary, a new arrival, the American Heritage College Dictionary Third Edition (1993), derived from the unabridged dictionary of the same name, is the right choice.-- Paul D'Alessandro, Portland P . L . , Me.

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up-The only substantial change in this 10th edition is the name. Formerly Websters, now Merriam-Webster's, the dictionary maintains the same high standards of the previous editions and like them is based on the unabridged Webster's 3rd New International Dictionary (1981). New words and meanings have been included, and some deletions have been made, but the emphasis remains on contemporary usage and definitions. Dates of origin and "usage paragraphs'' new to the 9th edition (1984) have been both updated and revised. Special sections include "Abbreviations and Symbols for Chemical Elements,'' "Foreign Words and Phrases,'' "Biographical and Geographical Names,'' "Signs and Symbols,'' "A Handbook of Style'' and a pronunciation guide. Libraries will surely want to update their collections for patrons who need to know what makes an autobiography "kiss-and-tell'' and what "chill out'' means.-Daryl Grabarek, BPL

Booknews

**** Formerly titled Webster's... (and under that title cited in BCL3, Sheehy, and Walford), the publishers had to distinguish themselves from rip-off competitors capitalizing on the "Webster" name, but this remains the same great college-level desk dictionary that so many of us grew up with and continue to depend upon. Not only thoroughly revised and updated, but the ninth edition was published in 1986, and we can ill-afford to be without the 10,000 new words and meanings now added. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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