Rating: 
Summary: The Best One-Volume Dictionary Ever?
Review: --- This, probably, is the one to buy. But decide for yourself...
--- The New Oxford American Dictionary (NOAD) may be regarded as the American translation of the New Oxford English Dictionary (NODE), published in England in 1998. A great many definitions are word-for-word identical between the two works. However, NOAD introduces significant improvements.
--- For example, NODE omits pronunciations for "ordinary, everyday" words, and as a result you get no hint as to whether "corgi" rhymes with "orgy" or "Porgie". NOAD provides pronunciations for all words, using a more sensible respelling. Furthermore, entries contain raised dots to separate syllables. Unfortunately, the dots are more prominent than the hyphens, which are mere flyspecks in both dictionaries even though that is precisely the sort of information a user might need.
--- NODE has no illustrations, which are abundant in NOAD. The crude maps are close to useless, and many pictures are mere eye candy, but some are worthwhile, for example the illustration for "pasta", where you may encounter "orzi" for the first time.
--- A great many NODE entries have been deleted, especially those for Indian, Australian, African, and some British English entries such as "gain-up", precisely the items that might send an American user scurrying for the dictionary. Proper names of British import are frequent casualties. On the other hand, many American entries have been added, including the New England beverage "frappe", but not "tonic". Wherever NODE indicates that a word is "American", that designation is omitted, whereas NOAD supplies "British" for other entries. Of course, the fact that a particular word is "American" will often be of interest and perhaps importance to an American user.
--- Spellings have been Americanized, and some entries, such as those for "corgi" and "Welsh corgi", have in effect swapped places.
--- Political correctness is sometimes apparent. Someone decided there should be a new entry "altar girl", which (mutatis mutandis) is a clone of NODE's entry for "altar boy". Someone else decided that the definition of "altar boy" could be recast in terms of "altar server", but the latter term received no entry of its own. The result is a curious lack of parallelism that might lead readers to suspect that altar boys and girls have dissimilar functions. Something of the same sort befell the entries for "chairman" and "chairwoman".
--- NODE's etymologies for "cola" and "Coke-bottle" may be regarded as adequate, but since NOAD deleted the entries for the trademarks "Coca-Cola" and "Coke", the etymologies no longer suffice. NODE has an entry for the archaic exclamation "gad", which NOAD retains, while adding an entry for the interjection "Gad" with virtually the same meaning. NOAD's deletion of the ballet term "chaine" is hardly complimentary. In the entry for "gigabyte", NOAD places a digit and its exponent on separate lines, albeit hyphenated. The introductory matter retains "homonym" in a chiefly British sense.
--- The cover claims that NOAD offers a "descriptive picture of American English", which often seems to mean they have not put themselves in the user's place. You will have to go elsewhere if you seek clarification of "chinks" as used in "Romeo and Juliet" or "Shakespeare in Love". If you read that Buddha was sitting under a bo tree and desire further information on this botanical specimen, you are unlikely to be enlightened even though NOAD has the information. If your mother says you have "hazel eyes", you will think her color-blind if you rely on the NOAD definition. For a generation, most Christians have celebrated "Passion Sunday" a week later than NOAD indicates.
--- NOAD is probably the first one-volume American dictionary to include such avifauna from our 50th state as "ou, o'o, iiwi"; it's the first to include the Madagascar birds "asity" and "fody", but "jery" remains to be discovered.
--- For sheer browseability, NOAD is outstanding. It's a great book to have at your side if you are the phone-a-friend for a Millionaire contestant.
--- All the above quibbles can be multiplied a thousandfold for this or any work based on millions of decisions by dozens of people. As the owner of more than fifty English lexicons, I would recommend this one-volume dictionary over all competitors. Consider purchasing it with CD-ROM (not available when I bought mine). If the price or size of this dictionary is beyond your grasp, a reasonable alternative is "Webster's New World College Dictionary", which incidentally gets "chinks", "hazel", and "Passion Sunday" correctly, while concealing the information for "bo" in the same way as NOAD.
Rating:
Summary: Wordsmithing made easy.
Review: ...The NEW OXFORD AMERICAN DICTIONARY fills the bill quite nicely and in grandiose form. Not only is this tome arguably the best product for the English lexicon currently on the market, it meets the weight test...in spades--at a full 9 pounds! The NEW OXFORD AMERICAN DICTIONARY somewhat breaks with tradition by providing the user with "core" senses. The core senses appear first for each definition and are followed by subsenses. The uses of "senses/subsenses" represents the most literal use of the word in the American lexicon rather than the more traditional, according to the publishers. This, in and of itself, makes this dictionary extremely timely and staggeringly useful to significantly any professional, manager or student. One other area which makes this dictionary extremely timely and which has been improved upon by the publishers is the seemingly infinite number of new words and acronyms forged by the presence of the Internet. Although you'll not find all of the poignant slang associated with your surfing activities, you may be surprised at how many you will find. My favorite example (as noted by another reviewer) and one that is used by most who email and participate in chat rooms is "LOL" (laughing out loud). The advent of this feature will benefit older users of the net much more than the younger ones (LOL)! As with most dictionaries, the pronunciation for each word is provided with its core sense and subsenses. Although somewhat strafed by commercial reviewers, the fact that the pronunciation key is found only in the introduction did not pose a monumental problem for this reviewer. Illustrations are abound in this volume although in black-and-white and greyscale. Again, this seems to be a point of contention for many but I think one has to ask themselves WHY they're using a tool such as this. If its for full-color photography, there are other resources available which would prove more beneficial than a dictionary. Other odds-and-ends...a "ready-reference" section has been placed at the end of this mammoth. It truly does represent a potpourri of items. A sampling includes: the United States Constitution, Hall of Fame members (baseball, football, basketball and even rock n' roll!), heat index and wind chill matrixes and a variety of other resources. The upside of this strange mix is that it should provide something for everyone, which is what I'm sure the publisher had in mind. Net,net...this is an incredible piece of work and one that every professional should 'invest' in, which is one other nice feature. Its tough to get your hands on a volume this nice for the price featured here on Amazon. All reference tools have shortcomings inasmuch as differing needs exist relative to each user. However, if you need an outstanding dictionary, you'll not go wrong purchasing this one.
Rating:
Summary: A truly great American dictionary
Review: ..Mammoth, lexicography, illustration, language root, nuance, readability, affordability...are few key words that I can think of when using this dictionary. This book will serve both languists and seasonal home users, it is good enough for library use and it is inexpensive enough to belong to homes. I am always a fan of Oxford publisher for its authority of the subject. The dictionary provides the core definition of word, its derivatives, origin (Greek, Latin, et al), usage and pictures. With this comprehensiveness, it comes with 2000 pages and library reference page size (try to look for Beetle). It is BIG, so it is not portable. With good paper and construction, this one will last.
Rating:
Summary: Superb desktop dictionary...
Review: A very large and wonderful single-volume dictionary for both the casual user and the word-lover. Certainly not a British dictionary being passed off as an "American" reference, but a genuine lexicon of the American variation of the English language. I prefer it over the American Heritage Dictionary as a really scholarly and comprehensive home dictionary. It is likewise a decent choice for schools and public libraries as well. A really terrific word reference, although I could do without its attempts to be "politically correct", e.g., the photos of both Bill and Hillary Clinton. Such space could be better utilized to include additional word entries. However, considering its positives and negatives, the positives prevail, and I do indeed recommend this publication, although I hope that future editions improve upon the current volume.
Rating:
Summary: A great bargain!
Review: After purchasing this dictionary, I am pleased to see that the other reader reviews are right on the mark. The typeface is better than I had expected. The "ready reference" section includes the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution with amendments. Hard to believe such a high-quality product is available for [this little]
Rating:
Summary: The best dictionary of American English
Review: As a lexicographer, I've got just about every dictionary and am skeptical when something "new" comes out. But this dictionary really is innovative and worth buying, no matter what other dictionaries you have on your shelf. Two of the best features are the examples and example sentences and the easy-to-read etymologies. I'm going to sit down and read it cover-to-cover!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: As an English major, this volume has served my needs perfectly. It is complete, but not as unwieldy or pricey as other dictionaries. Highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: The Best American English Language Dictionary Available
Review: I have read the previous customer review below and am puzzled as to why one would complain about the definitions of chinks, bo, hazel, and others when I have looked them up in my New Oxford American Dictionary and am completely satisfied and intellecutally encompassed by the definitions. Do not be fooled by Merriam Webster's aesthetically and namely appealing dictionaries, without a doubt NOAD is the best American dictionary currently available.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Reference Book - One Minor Flaw
Review: I love the layout of this dictionary! For its price, it can't be beat in my opinion. No - no colored pictures, but this is a dictionary, not an encyclopedia -- you use it to look for words. There is a bonus "reference" section at the end which has several uniquely American things like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and various other goodies.
While this dictionary excels in ever aspect I am concerned with over the American Heritage Dictionary, it has a minor problem in that several of the pages throughout the book have an almost imperceptable bleed of print (almost like they closed the book before the print was dry or something) from one page to the page opposite. Affects about .5% of the pages and is barely noticeable -- but I checked the library's copy and they have the same problem. Barely noticeable, but still a minor nuisance. I installed the CD on my computer. It is fun to punch in a word every once in a while and see what the definition is, but I still will use the book more often simply because my computer is not always on -- and of course with Scrabble at the kitchen table, nothing beats having the authoritative tome at your elbow -- ready for a challenge from your ignorant opponent!
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Reference Book - One Minor Flaw
Review: I love the layout of this dictionary! For its price, it can't be beat in my opinion. No - no colored pictures, but this is a dictionary, not an encyclopedia -- you use it to look for words. There is a bonus "reference" section at the end which has several uniquely American things like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and various other goodies.
While this dictionary excels in ever aspect I am concerned with over the American Heritage Dictionary, it has a minor problem in that several of the pages throughout the book have an almost imperceptable bleed of print (almost like they closed the book before the print was dry or something) from one page to the page opposite. Affects about .5% of the pages and is barely noticeable -- but I checked the library's copy and they have the same problem. Barely noticeable, but still a minor nuisance. I installed the CD on my computer. It is fun to punch in a word every once in a while and see what the definition is, but I still will use the book more often simply because my computer is not always on -- and of course with Scrabble at the kitchen table, nothing beats having the authoritative tome at your elbow -- ready for a challenge from your ignorant opponent!
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