Rating: 
Summary: In response to Scott Eliason
Review: Hi, Scott! Listen, the latest edition always has an earlier date but in this case, as in previous printings, at the beginning there is an addenda including 18,000 new words or new meanings to words already included. This may seem unsuitable, but just think that by leafing through the addenda you get to learn about the new language of the last 10 years!
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Summary: Great CD ROM!
Review: I already reviewed this book (below) but wanted to add that the cd-rom that comes with it is pc/mac compatible and is SO easy to use that you may not bother with the book. The cd-rom is fast and simple to use! Loads easily into mac! You can do searches, jumbles, crossword clues, cryptograms, etymologies, etc. Every English word you click on will take you to a definition of that word, also. An excellent tool for all wordsmiths!!!
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Summary: Good, but needs a revision
Review: I bought one new in 2003 - this edition has an addenda section of new words in the front (89 pages) with a 2002 copyright and then the main text of the dictionary with a 1961 copyright.The new words in the addenda are not listed in the main text, so if you look up a word in the main text and can't find it, you then have to double check the addenda section. The layout of the text looks like it remains the same as the 1961 template, and it is not easy to read. In contrast, the layout of the Shorter OED is quite nice and a pleasant alternative. The words and definitions of the Webster's Third New International Dictionary are extensive, authoritative, and a slight bit dated. In addition to the hard copy, I also have a subscription to the online version, which I have found to be very user-friendly and very useful. I find that if I'm online, I'll use the online version of this dictionary as my first choice (followed by OneLook Dictionaries). If I use a print dictionary, my first choice is usually "The New Oxford American Dictionary" for a quick sense of core meanings and related senses. My second choice is usually the 2 volume "Shorter Oxford English Dictionary" for a more historic sense of the word. My third choice is the 20 volume OED. My fourth choice is usually this dictionary.
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Summary: The Best there is
Review: I can understand why so many reviews rebut another because everything is in. Saturn, Jupiter, Abe Lincoln etc. You name it it's ther. Etymology? It's gives the Latin root or first reference & in many cases the various derivations, I am not sure what else you need. The CD has no pictures but so what? I need a word reference/thesaurus not pictorial something which Encarta does that far better but alas fails as a good ole dictionary. The dictionary does have line (black and white) lithographical drawings which hark back to the dictionaries of old. It's a nice touch. For British readers the Cambridge International is better especially if they've newly come over or if they need to know the differences between the original English and American but if you want AMERICAN English and how American should be used, spoken and written then this is the one. Many a rainy afternoon or too hot sunny day can be spent perusing this volume not to mention the word games the CD will help you master (great for the kids or a bored sophisticate).
Ah the joy of words! If you don't understand get the Collegiate edition and waste neither your time nor money.
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Summary: Words, words, words!
Review: I grew up with a huge dictionary in the house. Over the years it was worn to pieces but contributed greatly to my education. I bought this dictionary with the CD-ROM shortly after it came out. I have used the CD-ROM extensively but have yet to take the book out of the box. If pressed for cash, get the CD-ROM only. Either way, get the Merriam-Webster Talking Dictionary CD-ROM along with this dictionary for those words you're not sure how to pronounce. The Talking Dictionary is not as extensive as this one but the two together are fantastic. The two CD-ROMs are great resources and are well-used at my house and at work.
Rating: 
Summary: Good reference book, but...
Review: I have wished for a long time for the CD version of the Oxford English Dictionary and was on the verge of buying it until I read a review that expressed disappointment with OED-CD ease of use. The reviewer highly recommended Websters 3rd New International Dictionary:Unabridged which I purchased instead. The program is very easy to use and easily links to my MS Word. I do have four disappointments - First, I have a real interest in etymology and though the NID:U has an etymology section it is very brief. Second, though the CD is dated 2000 I have wondered just how up-to-date it is. For example, the word "internet" is not found. Third, many of the illustrations in the print version are NOT in the CD version. That is a big disappointment. Fourth, the dictionary does not contain many proper nouns or names. For example, out of the many uses for the word "Lincoln" not one definition lists Abraham as in President; neither is there any listing for Jefferson, either as President or Memorial. Look up Georgia and you will find that it is a state but there is no reference to the now country of Georgia, a former Soviet Republic. Look up any of the planets, Saturn, Venus, Mars, etc. and you find no mention of these words as describing the planets! The more I look the more disappointed I become. It is sold as an "unabridged" dictionary and according to the definition means complete, which the Wester's 3rd New International:Unabridged is not.
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Summary: Web's 3rd is still '93
Review: I just received my copy of Web's 3rd Unabridged Dictionary from Amazon. Overall I am happy and would recommend it to anyone with enough of a love for words and language to take the step up from the standard abridged dictionaries. However, I have one reservation I think is worth pointing out to the readers of this review. Amazon shows this book as an October 2000 release. The included cd appears to be 2000 (I have not yet checked to see whether its a real updated version), but the book itself is 1993. I am disappointed in that date, because I expect it will lack a lot of recent techno-jargon that I would have expected in a 2000 publication.
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Summary: Missing pages
Review: I love my Webster's and have used it for several years. However, my eleven year old just discovered I'm missing 19 pages - pages 1353-1372. Don't know if that's just my volume or if anyone else discovered a similar problem. I plan to buy the 2 vol Oxford English Dictionary set to compliment my Webster's; however, one OED reviewer mentioned he found several pages printed upside down!
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Summary: The Dictonary for Serious Writers
Review: I purchased this dictionary because I found that an abridged collegiate dictionary just does not have the depth that I require in my writing. Any serious author that is concerned with knowing about what they talk of should consider this book. It is massive, with all of the information you could possibly want from a true writing resource. Plus, the name Merriam-Webster means that you are accessing studied information that has been refined and honed by scholars and specialists for generations. What really sealed the deal for me was the computer software included with the book. As large as the book is, the software adds an amazing degree of functionality. It is a true companion piece to this reference tool. Easily worth a lot on its own, the software is included in the package for a modest price. Though there is a contest to win by writing a review for this item, I can seriously say that I would have taken the time to write this anyway. In the few days since the holidays that I have had this resource, I have dipped into it innumerable times to assist my writing--not just for spelling and definitions, but for a detailed history of the origin of our language. It is not, however, a dictionary for everyone, for most people will not have the need for a resource tool this detailed. I give it five stars though, because it is not intended to be a family dictionary, so this is truly not a drawback or flaw. A must buy for any serious writer or scholar of any kind.
Rating:
Summary: In response to Charles M. Sebree and Scott Eliason
Review: I'd owned the Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (3rd Edition) since 1985 and recently I'd also brought the "latest" edition of this dictionary with CD-ROM. What I found the CD-ROM's illustrations were just based on the deluxe edition of their Collegiate Dictionary, therefore the CD-ROM's contents are actually an abridged edition of the original printed edition. If you do not have the deluxe edition you may check their web site (www.m-w.com), an on-line edition is over there. According to the response of Merriam-Webster's staff, it's contents are based on the 1993 edition of the Unabridged Dictionary, actually the 1993 edition is the "latest" of their Unabridged Dictionary. The copyright date 2000 is merely the production date of that CD-ROM! But the CD-ROM is actually very useful to find related words because it has advanced searches and browse function, where I can find related information very easy. And it is not possible in the past when there is only a printed dictionary. Yes, actually this dictionary has it's disadvantage, because it cannot provide explanation in geographical and biographical name etc. If you are looking for more updated and latest unabridged dictionary, I suggest you can buy the Random House Unabridged Dictionary. (They'd published their unabridged dictionary, 2nd edition with CD-ROM as early as 1993) Finally, just give you some interesting facts about the 2nd edition of the Unabridged Dictionary (Merriam-Webster), the total number of words and size is actually larger than the "Unabridged" Dictionary (3rd edition), therefore the word "unabridged" is merely indicate that it is a larger dictionary, but actually cannot really cover "everything"!
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