The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition by Editors of The American Heritage Dictionaries, Houghton Mifflin Company, Joseph P. Pickett

From Barnes & Noble

As timely as it is timeless, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language offers the most information about our language in the most accessible style and the most inviting design. The fourth edition combines exacting linguistic scholarship with creative innovations in the art of dictionary making. Whether it is the full-color illustration program, the usage advice of more than 200 experts -- including John Kenneth Galbraith, Rita Dove, Susan Sontag, Joan Didion, and Calvin Trillin -- or the varied and extensive notes, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language gives you the resources you need to use the English language with accuracy and grace. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is once again setting the standard in dictionary making in both print and electronic format. It's no wonder it is called an American classic.

From the Publisher

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition on CD-ROM offers all the features of its print counterpart and more. The Fourth Edition includes over 10,000 new words and senses, full etymologies, a revised Appendix of Indo-European Roots, and an all-new Appendix of Semitic Roots. It also includes an expansive note program: over 450 new and revised Usage Notes, 100 Regional Notes, and a new feature, Our Living Language Notes.

The new Fourth Edition on CD combines the innovation of the print dictionary with the ease and accessibility of an electronic format. Special features include:

· Over 1,000 color photographs, illustrations, and maps from the print edition

· Nearly 70,000 spoken pronunciations

· Definitions and usage instantly accessible by highlighting and right-clicking on words in any Microsoft Office application

· A simple search tool for finding the word you want, even if you don't know how to spell it

· Separately searchable indexes of all images and note features

Whatever your experience as a computer user may be, The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language on CD will help you discover the richness of the English language in ways you never have before.

Minimal System Requirements

· PC with Pentium® 200 or higher processor · Windows® 95, Windows® 98, Windows NT®, or Windows® 2000 · 32 megabytes of RAM · Hard disk with at least 20 megabytes of free space · CD-ROM drive (or DVD-ROM drive) · Multimedia system with Microsoft Media Player for sound · SVGA 800 x 600 orhigher resolution monitor · Mouse and Keyboard

Publishers Weekly

Since its 1969 first edition, the American Heritage has battled Webster's for desk, library and classroom space. Against its older rival, American Heritage boasts better looks, more frequent updates and a 200-member Usage Panel with verbal all-stars like novelists Alice Munro and Sherman Alexie. The third edition of the American Heritage appeared only in 1992; what's new about this edition? For one thing, 10,000 more words, frequently colloquial ones or new coinages; all dictionaries delete when they add, but here additions seem to outnumber cuts. Another new feature is color: with polychromatic photographs down broad margins, and entry words in greenish-black, the fourth edition looks like the well-dressed offspring of an older reference book and a Web site--an appearance likely to please younger users. The fourth does well with '90s cultural terms--"permatemp" and "McJob," "techno" and "indie" (rock). It's good with compounds, especially new ones--"celestial longitude," "jewel box" (for CDs), "crack baby," "poetry slam." Coverage of slang has also improved: the third made "dick" "a guy" and a male organ; the fourth gives the noun as an insult and five senses for "dick" as a verb. Occasional boxes offer long paragraphs on (for example) when and where "party" can mean "person," why the Usage Panel hates "hopefully," and the evolution of the word "circus." As in the third, a substantial appendix guides readers through Indo-European roots. American Heritage's examples and etymologies still can't compare to the Oxford English Dictionary--nor should they. Instead, the volume strikes a commendable, practical balance between depth of coverage and ease of use. (The CD-ROM contains all the text of the bound book, with less art, but also the words retired from the third edition; it can be purchased separately for $24.95.) (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Library Journal

The new American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language updates the third edition (1992) with 10,000 new words and senses and 4000 illustrations (many now in color) in the spacious outer margins. New words include "anime," "carjacking," "DVD," "glass ceiling," and "mommy track." Many abbreviations now familiar in the online world, such as "BTW" (by the way) and "LOL" (laughing out loud), are also defined. Each entry contains the headword, pronunciation, part of speech, and definition. Over 700 words have synonym notes, over 400 words have usage notes, 200-plus words have word history notes, and more than 100 words have regional notes. Pronunciation guides are easily consulted since they are printed on the recto of every page. Definitions are clearly written. The usage notes are interesting but designed to be mini-critical lessons; they do not give quick and easy rules about usage. Regional notes also provide interesting information and background about specific words, but overall there are few of them. If you are looking for a reference work that provides histories and extensive information about usage, this is not the appropriate resource; Bryan A. Garner's A Dictionary of Modern American Usage (LJ 10/15/98) is an excellent guide to usage, and the Oxford English Dictionary remains the standard for the history of the English language. However, for libraries in need of a new English-language dictionary, with new words, that is clearly written and easy to use, this new edition is an excellent choice. Recommended for all libraries. (CD-ROM not seen.)--Cynthia A. Johnson, Barnard Coll. Lib., New York Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Details from Seller

• ISBN: 0395825172
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Pub. Date: January 2000
• Condition:

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