The New Oxford American Dictionary

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Summary: Anyone that speaks and writes English should have this...
Review: Since this dictionary is made and endorsed by Oxford University, you can't go wrong with this one! When I purchased this book, I was astounded by how heavy in weight it was. The information and definitions inside are comprehensive, concise, and in large black print that is accessible to read, however, I was disappointed in the fact that this dictionary is biased in respect to British grammar and usage as it focuses on American English. Nevertheless, every office and household should have a dictionary, and Oxford traditionally is the most widely accepted and famous reference provider in the world.

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Summary: The New Oxford American Dictionary with CD Rom
Review: The Dictionary content is great ... but my review pertains to the CD Rom version. The dictionary was presented as "including" a CD Rom version. In fact you must make an additional purchase of a software product (iFinger search product) to use the CD. This is false advertising, pure and simple. To make matters worse, there were absolutely NO instructions regarding how to secure the registration code required to run the CD Rom version ... I am sure you get the code when you buy the software ... but how? from whom? how much does it cost? FALSE ADVERTISING ... I am returning this product for refund.

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Summary: What a dictionary ought to be!
Review: The large size of the Oxford American Dictionary, the high-quality paper, illustrations, and font all present an aura that beckons the reader in. The logical arrangement of the senses and sub-senses are so much easier to use that this effort will surely set a new standard in dictionaries. The older format, that of plowing through numerous entries that are seemingly unconnected, is doomed to fall by the wayside, and not a moment too soon. Older dictionaries lack the intuitive usefulness developed by the team that assembled this most excellent dictionary. Having the Oxford English Dictionary, a Merriam-Webster, and an older Webster, there is no question for us that for day-to-day use, and for the times when one needs to more fully develop very specific idea, this work will become the one that most will rely on. Those who desire exactitude will be pleased, and those who are "looking" will be drawn in, perhaps farther than they intended to be. A superior product that is long, long overdue.

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Summary: The best dictionary of American English
Review: This is absolutely the best dictionary of American English currently on the market. I researched American Heritage, Websters etc. The Oxford is clearly a level above them all.

First, this dictionary has the unprecendated level of clarity in its entries. It's not just the idea that the most common senses of the word should go first (unlike Marian-Webster's, where they are presented chronologically), it's the idea that among all the senses of the word, some are the "core" meanings, while the others are the sub-meanings, sub-senses, and can be grouped accordingly. You don't need to go through 15 senses of the word "belt", for example, to find the meaning you were looking for. All the meanings are grouped by their "core" meaning, with other subsenses attached to them. As a result, it's so much easier to grasp all the meanings of the word, because, think about it, this is exactly how your mind works. The Oxford editors believe (based on the extensive phychological research) that this is how the dictionaries of the future should be written, and this stem structure of senses and subsenses makes a lot of sense.

I was surprised to read other reviews of this dictionary where reviewers were critisizing the New Oxford American Dictionary in favor of Mariam-Webster's and others because some obscure words were present there, but not here. Don't kid yourself, unless you have 70 other dictionaries at home and lots of spare time to compare the entries in each of them, you'll find the Oxford dictionary excellent, definately better than anything else on the market, and sufficient for most of your needs and more.

Highly recommended.

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Summary: One more correction
Review: This is my third "review" of this product. Here I only want to make one important correction to my previous criticisms, where I thought it was not possible to keep the definition displayed while giving the focus to the document you are working on. It is actually possible after all. You just have to have the right set of circumstances active simultaneously, which I did not have in my previous reviews.

First, on the Configuration Panel, you have to have Sleep unchecked. It is unchecked by default, and I inadvertently had it checked for my reviews, so the definitions would not stay on top.

Second, you have to click on the down arrow in one of the definition panels (there can be multiple definition panels displayed, depending on how many different meanings are defined for a word). A checkbox will appear in the status line below the data window, labeled "Keep Article Open".

Third, check "Keep Article Open".

When all three of these conditions exist, you can return the focus to whatever application you were working on and the definition will remain opened and on top.

Sorry for the misrepresentation of this excellent product. You can see that my rating keeps going up! I am using it all the time and it is very convenient. So I guess now my only problem is that it doesn't offer any options if you misspell a word.

There is one other problem that could be annoying to some. The dictionary toolbar fits into the title bar of the active application, and the edit box for entering your word fits inside of that. This means that the font that is used to represent the word you type is pretty small. If you are running your display at high resolution and you don't have sharp eyesight, it may be difficult to see what you're typing. Note that setting the desktop to one of the large schemes does not help. The font is still extremely small.

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Summary: Very Handy
Review: This is my third favorite dictionary - behind the 20 volume OED and the Shorter OED. There are several things I like about this dictionary - first, it is a convenient size, not too unwieldy to carry from room to room. Second, the innovative way of defining the words (using core meanings and distinctions of these meanings) makes the dictionary very readable and accessible. The layout is clean and organized, with occasional drawings or photos.

The emphasis of this dictionary appears to be contemporary usage. There is a brief origin listing after many words, which is useful; however, the historical quotations that are descriptive of the OED or shorter OED are mostly absent.

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Summary: I'm a dictionary convert
Review: This new American dictionary from Oxford is fantastic. I have the American Hertitage that came out a few years ago and I was pleased with it--it was an up-to-date version of the dictionaries I've always had. But when I received this dictionary I was astounded. For the first time I'm using my dictionary for more than a simple spell check.

First of all, it lists the most common use of the word as the first definition. This seems so logical it's bizarre that other dictionaries don't do it. I no longer have to browse through archaic or niche uses of a word simply because they predate the most common. It creates a whole new level of clarity. On top of this, the pronunciation system is extremely easy to use and the layout is clean and straight forward. It has the feel of a classic (illustrations and drawings only when it informs a word, none of those do-dads, distractions, and unnecessary photos that make other dictionaries look cheap but the makers think will make it look more expensive.) The usage notes are excellent, and there are more new words in it than I've found anywhere else--must be the resources of the OED and Oxford's other power dictionaries that the American lexicographers have drawn on. I actually find myself opening this dictionary and simply browzing.

It's also great with American words. I was afraid that it would be a British dictionary with an American cover wrapped around it, but that's not the case. Look up words like "trunk" and "roundabout" and see what you get.

I do have one criticism, and it's about thumb indexing. I'm not sure other dictionaries have this problem, but the thumb indexing is way off in places because they make the notches equidistant from each other and some letters are larger than others. What's the point of providing a quick finder tool when it's not helpfull

Still, this dictionary is grand. The first American dictionary that has met my needs and made me realize that a good dictionary is the most amazing resource I've ever encountered.

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Summary: Good Printed Version, Fair CD Version
Review: This printed version differs from others by offering examples.
The CD version installs itself onto hard disk therefore runs
without the CD in drive. The look-up function is a bit limited
compared to Random House, American Heritage or Encarta. Either
found or not found, no suggested spelling.
The examples are good.
I am buying Short OED printed.

Rating:
Summary: Perhaps TOO Comprehensive?
Review: This would be an exceptional dictionary except for two issues: (1) Why do today's celebrities need to be listed in a dictionary? Madonna even rates a photo! Shouldn't history dictate historically significant individuals? (2) Why are cuss words (complete with variations) listed? Are these words truly important enough to require documentation in a dictionary? I'm sure all dictionaries are alike in these regards, but it would be great if one could rise above the squalor. Maybe I'm getting old ...