The Macmillan Visual Dictionary - español/inglés

Rating:
Summary: Excellent must-have for everyone with a love of language
Review: I bought this book actually looking for another one which was unavailable. I was looking for a source to increase my Spanish vocabulary effectively. I have been thrilled with the book. Upon first glance, a Dominican friend demanded a copy for his wife(to whom English is a Second Language). There are more topics than I hope to understand in a lifetime and think that this is THE definitive source for vocabulary. It describes everything, from minute parts of the automobile, to clothing that I have never even seen, to cross-sections of coal mines. They have technical enough terms for any professional but simple enough terms for anyone else. I have found, however, that much of the language is written using quite formal terminology. A Mexican told me that it was written using Spanish from Spain. Much of the wording is universal, and, if used, would be understood, however, regional variations will definitely exist. I love the book in spite of not always giving me the exact word I need(I use mostly Western Hemisphere Spanish), but my audience understands and can then give me the more colloquial or the more widely understood term in this area. I rate it a must-buy in spite of its (extremely minor when compared to the tons of information and great illustrations) flaws. They've got EVERYTHING.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!!
Review: This is the most amazing dictionary I've ever seen! I started learning Spanish 16 years ago and now have been teaching it for 7 years, and I have never seen a dictionary that is so comprehensive. The fact that it has pictures is wonderful! I have told all my teaching friends about it. Now for those words you don't know, you can look them up instead of having to laugh and say "la cosa."

Rating:
Summary: Extremely functional, though imperfect.
Review: This visual dictionary is an extremely useful, beautifully illustrated reference. It should serve any student of the language well. The minimal criticism I have is that it is definitely skewed towards Iberian Spanish, though this is often of little importance when looking for more technical terms. The one other criticism I have is that in terms of technical vocabulary, many of the more detailed terms have been dropped out, leaving the more general, probably more commonly sought, terms. Overall, a very useful reference.