The Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus

Rating:
Summary: A New Concept, More Complete than Most
Review: Gustave Flaubert said, "All talent for writing consists after all of nothing more than choosing words." And how can that be wrong. Even as I write this review, I am only choosing words. But to say exactly what I mean is sometimes difficult. I want to say something, I know there is a word that expresses exactly what I want to say, but I can't think of it. Hence a thesaurus.

This new thesaurus carries things a lot further. Rather than just providing a list of alternative words, here are real-life example sentences, explicit distinctions for the most commonly used synonyms and many additional features. As an example, here is the entry for the word dramatize:


dramatize verb 1. the novel was dramatized TURN INTO A PLAY/MOVIE/MOTION PICTURE/FILM, adapt for the stage/screen.

2. the tabloids dramatized the event EXAGGERATE, overdo, overstate, hyperbolize, magnify, amplify, inflate; sensationalize, embroider, color, aggrandize, embellish, elaborate; informal blow up (out of all proportion).

Rating:
Summary: A new and thought-provoking tool for writers
Review: I was given this as a gift and it was the best present I've received in years. The combination of essays and synonyms makes you want to rummage through the pages. The more words you run across the richer and more expressive your writing will be, and this thesaurus really introduces you to a glorious many.

I really like the personal tone of the writers' essays -- it takes what could be a forbidding, boring reference book and makes it like taking a class with these writers. (Where is it written that reference books have to be overserious killjoys to be authoritative? This one manages to be both readable and responsible.)

If you are still using a skimpy paperback thesaurus, upgrade! You'll be glad you did.

Rating:
Summary: An awkward combination of thesaurus and essays
Review: If you want a thesaurus, I recommend "The Synonym Finder" (if you want an alphabetical thesaurus) and "Bartlett's Roget's Thesaurus" (if you want a traditional thesaurus arranged by subject).

If you want a book that explains the differences between synonyms, I recommended the Merriam-Webster "Dictionary of Synonyms" or "Choose the Right Word."

However, in the unlikely event that you want a thesaurus interspersed with essays by supposed writing experts, you might enjoy this book. I'd like to point out, though, that all thesauruses are for writers, and calling this a "writer's thesaurus" doesn't make it any more so.

All in all, this is an average thesaurus, but the essays are a distraction and their tone is too personal and opinionated for a reference work. Because of this, I don't think this book will stand the test of time.