Cassell's Italian Dictionary (Thumb-indexed Version) : Italian-English English-Italian

Rating:
Summary: Cassell's Italian Dictionary
Review: I have bought several Italian English dictionaries in the past. There are all different. Some have pictures, but then they do not have enough room and miss some every day words. They are good for beginners and some travellers. The other type of dictionary is the dry word for word transalation without giving you any examples on how that particular word could be used in a sentence. What I liked about Cassel's dictionary is that it addresses both points. First, it is over 1100 pages so you will find almost any word. Second, where appropriate, it gives examples of how to use the idiomatic type words. Any student of the Italian language knows that it is very easy to become frustrated by conjucations and the irregular verbs. That area is well covered here. However, if you really want to learn about Italian conjugations, read the "501 Italian Verbs by Colaneri and Luciani" There is also an appendix for words such as "wild cat strike" and "Warehousing" and slangs such as "floozie" and "flophouse" are also covered. So, this dictionary caters to your every need. The only complain that I have is that some pictures such as certain plants and architectural parts of the building would have made the book much better. All in all a great dictionary for all levels.

Rating:
Summary: Cassell's Italian Dictionary
Review: I have bought several Italian English dictionaries in the past. There are all different. Some have pictures, but then they do not have enough room and miss some every day words. They are good for beginners and some travellers. The other type of dictionary is the dry word for word transalation without giving you any examples on how that particular word could be used in a sentence. What I liked about Cassel's dictionary is that it addresses both points. First, it is over 1100 pages so you will find almost any word. Second, where appropriate, it gives examples of how to use the idiomatic type words. Any student of the Italian language knows that it is very easy to become frustrated by conjucations and the irregular verbs. That area is well covered here. However, if you really want to learn about Italian conjugations, read the "501 Italian Verbs by Colaneri and Luciani" There is also an appendix for words such as "wild cat strike" and "Warehousing" and slangs such as "floozie" and "flophouse" are also covered. So, this dictionary caters to your every need. The only complain that I have is that some pictures such as certain plants and architectural parts of the building would have made the book much better. All in all a great dictionary for all levels.

Rating:
Summary: As valuable as a pocket
Review: I've used this dictionary now for several weeks to prepare speeches on current events. I have found that the entries do not cover the "nuances" of meaning very well. And not all forms of the word are explored. For example, one can derive a noun, adjective and adverb out of most Italian verbs (although the meaning may not be what you exactly expect), and these variations are often ignored. I've replaced my 10-year-old paperback with this version, but will still seek out an unabridged Italian-English dictionary.

Rating:
Summary: As valuable as a pocket
Review: I've used this dictionary now for several weeks to prepare speeches on current events. I have found that the entries do not cover the "nuances" of meaning very well. And not all forms of the word are explored. For example, one can derive a noun, adjective and adverb out of most Italian verbs (although the meaning may not be what you exactly expect), and these variations are often ignored. I've replaced my 10-year-old paperback with this version, but will still seek out an unabridged Italian-English dictionary.