Rating: 
Summary: Buyer Beware: The Handsome Book is Flawed!
Review: After using "The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language" (4th ed.) on a daily basis for three weeks, I have discovered that there is a potential defect in it that prospective buyers need beware. The paper used for the pages of this dictionary is very thin, almost like tissue paper. When I turn pages in searching for a word, the bottoms of the pages become very easily chipped (small tears occur). I am very concerned that my new dictionary will become shredded within a few months. I have not had this problem with the same dictionary in the third edition; my copy is several years old. (Publisher please take note and use better paper in subsequent printings.)I still recommend "The AHD" (4th ed.) as a very good reference dictionary, but if one plans to use it a lot as I do, then "handle with care."
Rating: 
Summary: Of course there were medical consultants
Review: Amazons's review states that there are no medical consultants on the panel, but the scientific and technical credits include a gastroenterologist and a psychiatrist. For the first time, there is a list of the words for which there are usage notes.
Rating:
Summary: Love this Edition.
Review: American Heritage is my favorite dictionary and I finally set my old one out to pasture and bought this edition four months ago. I have not been disappointed in the least. It's thorough with a very clear type set and readable fonts. I don't know about you, but microscopic print is useless to me regardless of the text. I'd never use the magnifying lens that comes with the OED. American Heritage is inexpensive and quite helpful so that's why I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Love this Edition.
Review: American Heritage is my favorite dictionary and I finally set my old one out to pasture and bought this edition four months ago. I have not been disappointed in the least. It's thorough with a very clear type set and readable fonts. I don't know about you, but microscopic print is useless to me regardless of the text. I'd never use the magnifying lens that comes with the OED. American Heritage is inexpensive and quite helpful so that's why I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Verbaige Good...realistic characters abound...weak on plot
Review: As far as words go, this one has a lot. Its format is pretty near revolutionary the way it arranges things alphabetically starting with "A" and ending with "Z". All joking aside, this dictionary makes for great browsing. Its enormous size doesn't really lend it to a handy writing reference, due to the limited mobility you will find trying to move this behemoth around. But, along with the incisive pictures, your bound to find something enlightening on each page. As this book sits around my house (not to be moved often at risk of herniated body parts), I refer to it as the "Great Book of Knowledge." It's more than a great dictionary, it serves as one of the best all time coffee table books (just make sure you have a strong coffee table). It's pervasive "word history", "usage notes", "synonyms", and pictures make the book infinitely interesting. If you are going to invest in a fixed location Dictionary that you will keep around for a long time, you can't go wrong with this one.
Rating:
Summary: Not highly appreciated!
Review: Gave this dictionary as a gift to my two step-daughters because they both lacked this in their personal libraries. They didn't even say thanks.
Rating:
Summary: A colorful Americentric dictionary.
Review: Hey, it's called the American Heritage Dictionary for a reason. We happen to be a proud people and the tradition of using American variants of English words date back from the Revolutionary War when our forefathers sought to differentiate us from the Brits. The complaints from the envious English aside, this dictionary is quite a read. Yes, it's a readable dictionary, if you're into dictionary reading that is. Its presentation makes it less of a strain on the eyes. And as ever, there is more American slang and tech lingo here than you'll find anywhere else, which may be good for parents trying to decipher what their children are talking about. All in all, a dictionary for those who are not scholars for a living.
Rating:
Summary: A truly outstanding dictionary
Review: I am a man of many dictionaries, in many languages. I keep a Webster-Merriam Unabridged in my study, plus earlier editions of the American Heritage, and I also keep one-volume dictionaries in each room of my house. But this present 4th edition American Heritage is very special; it has quickly become my favorite of all the English-language dictionaries that I own. First, there is the physical layout -- the beautiful pictures, the type face that makes for easy reading, the wonderful color. But mainly it is a matter of sheer amount and quality of information. Try, for instance, the "f-word." Of course we all know how to spell it and what it means when a teenager yells it. But did you its history in the English language ? The 4th edition tells it. You may think that you don't want to know, but after you read this word history, and many others in this book, you know that you will not want to do without this dictionary ever again. Of course, this book is no substitute for an unabridged. I tried it on the phrase "term of art," something that comes up frequently in court opinions and other learned discussions. This dictionary will not tell you what the phrase means, but my trusty Webster-Merriam Unabridged will. So you see, you too need to be a person of many dictionaries, or at the very least of two.
Rating:
Summary: Everyone should own this dictionary!
Review: I believe that this is the best dictionary I have ever owned. It contains slang terms that you can not find in other dictionaries.
Rating:
Summary: Everyone should own this dictionary!
Review: I believe that this is the best dictionary I have ever owned. It contains slang terms that you can not find in other dictionaries.
| 
