Rating: 
Summary: Detailed and full of information!
Review: I love this dictionary! I love dictionaries in general. This is my favorite out of all the dictionaries I own (6). I love to just open it up and read a few pages. The content is excellent. It is a little big, but it's great to have open to refer to on a book stand. Wonderful book!
Rating:
Summary: Buy it..
Review: I love words, their sound, their meaning, their origins, their use.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Filling, Terrible covers and binding
Review: It is a good dictionary. Reads well, great info. I am on my 2nd and need my 3rd because of the covers and bindings. It calls itself a hardcover book, but the binding is weaker than on a paperback. And like a paper back the covers tear off with use.
It might stand up if I had a proper stand for it.
Rating:
Summary: Good Filling, Terrible covers and binding
Review: It is a good dictionary. Reads well, great info. I am on my 2nd and need my 3rd because of the covers and bindings. It calls itself a hardcover book, but the binding is weaker than on a paperback. And like a paper back the covers tear off with use.
It might stand up if I had a proper stand for it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent value
Review: Now, that I own the book, I have to praise it. I am not a native English speaker and this book contains not only all the words you find in any dictionary, but also technical terms; "designer" words such as Muzak, Miranda; plant names (English and Latin); chemical compounds with formula and structure; a little history information: in short - everything that you need, when you work in a laboratory and read a lot of English texts, and everything you need, when you sit at home and read English/American novels. I wish there was an equivalent of this in German (sometimes the Webster information exceeds my 20 volume german encyclopedia with respect to technical, geographical, historical data). If you don't have it yet and you are not a native speaker and you like to or have to read English texts a lot - then go and get it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent value
Review: Now, that I own the book, I have to praise it. I am not a native English speaker and this book contains not only all the words you find in any dictionary, but also technical terms; "designer" words such as Muzak, Miranda; plant names (English and Latin); chemical compounds with formula and structure; a little history information: in short - everything that you need, when you work in a laboratory and read a lot of English texts, and everything you need, when you sit at home and read English/American novels. I wish there was an equivalent of this in German (sometimes the Webster information exceeds my 20 volume german encyclopedia with respect to technical, geographical, historical data). If you don't have it yet and you are not a native speaker and you like to or have to read English texts a lot - then go and get it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent For Education and Entertainment
Review: Sometimes the greatest works of literature don't have plots, characters, technical climaxes, action of any kind, settings, or dialogue. There are no great scenes, no credited authors, and rising actions. How does one read a book without a plot? one might ask. Among English literature there are masses of unregarded books lacking characters and dialogue, though rich in knowledge and beauty of their own. These books I refer to are dictionaries, and standing supreme of all dictionaries is Webster's Unabridged Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language (Random House Value Publishers, 1996). It's the book to end all books, a worthwhile diversion for those days when boredom threatens to overwhelm. Upon almost every page sit pictures, visual attractors for those people out there who complain that they can't read books without pictures. Next to the pictures, surrounding the pictures, expounding upon the pictures are the definitions, some like little stories and some information and more. You can read about far-off and exotic locations, historical and mythological figures, slang terms, etymology, and sundry nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, interjections, pronouns, etc. In the beginning of the book is a comprehensive list of all the American presidents, their wives, their religions, their running mates and complete copies of the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution including the amendments. At the end is a list of important people the world over, so that you know how to correctly address the Chief Justice of Canada and his or her mailing address in case you ever have the urge to write. What a book! Where else would one find out that pelite is any clayey rock like mudstone or shale, or even that clayey is a real adjective? How else would one know that grumphie is a Scottish word that is a familiar name for a pig? For most people there would be no other way. The wealth of knowledge contained within these few thousand pages is more than one person alone could learn in a lifetime and a half. Not all definitions are created alike, however. Many different authors submit to the dictionary, and it's obvious that some of these people aren't as careful and concerned as others. Some definitions aren't very helpful, like knowing that mouse deer is chevrotain, without being told what part of speech is. Or looking up radiancy and being told that it means radiance. Let's use the word to define itself; that's a good idea. The dictionary can be of wonderful use in compositions, though they must be used wisely. Writing, "Pleonasm: the use of more words than are necessary to express an idea" isn't a good idea, for it shows that you know only how to look up the word and copy its definition, and not that you might actually know what it means and how to use it. And even if you're not writing a paper, the dictionary is fun to peruse. Most of the definitions make me laugh-English can be a very versatile and humorous language, if you know how to use it. Long live Webster, king of the dictionary-makers!
Rating: 
Summary: Literally not worth the paper it's printed on.
Review: The name Random House was associated with this dictionary, so I thought it would be a fine graduation present. Big mistake. Do not buy this book. The covers are unattractive; the pseudo-gold edging on the pages looks tawdry; the pages of the book itself are of a low-grade, quickly biodegradable, and odoriferous stock; the entries are crowded and hard to read. Why did Random House produce the book?
Rating:
Summary: The Best Dictionary of the English Language
Review: The perfect dictionary for any student(high school or college). Who Writes a lot of essays.
Rating: 
Summary: a more realistic review
Review: To begin, let me say that I really like this dictionary. The print is large enough to read; it's a good value for an unabridged dictionary; it's much more current than my parents' dictionary from the 1960s; and I have been known to sit and read it for long stretches. However, though it is a 1996 dictionary, it is somewhat lacking in current terms. For example, and perhaps I am alone here, I would not think to look up "e-mail" under "electronic mail." A "drag queen" is not exactly the same as "a male transvestite." "Transgender" is not in the dictionary at all. I am sure there were other words I looked up, or tried to, which disappointed me. Altogether, I would say that this book is perfect for a bright high schooler, but if you're an older fan of words, look for a more complete and current dictionary.
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