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Rating: 
Summary: Superlative, in a class by itself...
Review: A wonderful resource for logophiles who have already searched through a standard unabridged dictionary. If you love words, you will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: A really cool dictionary!
Review: As an English instructor for a local HS, I found this book to be a fun way to get my kids excited about vocabulary. Every week I pick a new and unusual word from this diverse collection and include it with my kids assignments. For a dictionary that is readable, (I read mine cover to cover) and accurate, this is a must for any word lover!
Rating: 
Summary: very entertaining
Review: I just met Mrs. Byrne's dictionary at the home of a linguist. A houseful of brilliant linguists, and almost none had heard of any of the words. But they laughed and enjoyed them tremendously. Now I'm ordering a copy.Though the author's intro says that all the words have been found in at least one reputable dictionary, some of these appear to be nonce words (no more established in use than a sniglet), while others are merely obscure. But both kinds are entertaining!
Rating:
Summary: More fun than reading a novel!
Review: Mrs. Byrne's dictionary is a little like Granny's cookie jar, chock-full of morsels to sate the craving of any logophile. A cursory page-through suffices to whet the appetite; a more thorough read satisfies and amuses. This dictionary has provided fodder for many a rousing game of balderdash!
Rating:
Summary: Sesquipedalian Verbotopia
Review: My copy of Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary is, by far, the most dilapidated, dog-eared, written-upon and coffee-stained book now in my possession.
It is not because I hate the book that I have so thoroughly destroyed it. It is, rather, the fact that I refer to it all the time, and take copious notes -- which wind up all over its pages.
If you love words, this is the book I would recommend. You will find an inexhaustible supply of some of the most arcane and ludibund words in our language within these pages.
A great gift for the rantallion in us all!
Dave Beckwith
Founder/President
Charlotte Internet Society
Rating:
Summary: English is a very, very rich language.
Review: This informative, well-researched, very interesting, unique reference presents the meaning of 6000 of the most outlandish, eccentric, and strange legitimate words that are part of our English language. Each word's definition is clearly and fully explained, complete with its pronunciation and sometimes even a reference to its language of origin.
This comprehensive volume is a wonderful resource for trivia enthusiasts and people who just love words, language and slang, and it's perfect for offhanded browsing.
So, if you want to know if you've ever jargogled, marmarized or edulcolated anything, if anyone you know is psittaceous, valgus or a gobemouche, or what a diplasiasmus, a krobylos or lares and penates are, then this is the book for you.
Although most of the words contained in this volume are not fit for use in everyday conversations, this is still a fun way to discover new words with precise, astonishing and even outrageous meanings.
Overall, this book is a delightful, entertaining source of curious words and intriguing terms just waiting to be found.
Rating:
Summary: A "Dictionary Game" necessity
Review: Try putting that in a single's ad and see what kind of response you get! Mrs Byrnes has collected some of the most outrageous, unusual (for the most part) words you have ever read. This book is great for starting a party or an argument, writing up silly tests to send over the internet to your friends and winning items from radio shows. Radio shows in my area tend to ask questions such as "What is gephyrophobia?" so the listener can call in and win a prize. Sometimes the folks make up the answers ("Fear of a geography test?") but it's easy to win when you can look on page 83 and see it means "fear of crossing bridges". This book is also helpful while playing Scrabble, especially if you play with a person who tends to come up with unusual words - if it's not in the Oxford and it's not in this book, it doesn't count for points in Scrabble. So buy this book and entertain your friends, torment your co-workers and tease your fellow Scrabble players with bits of information gleaned from this excellent reference book. Your friends will think you're a renable renardinstead of a logastellus lout if you use this book properly. *redhaired word-lover
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