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Rating: 
Summary: Great pocket dictionary
Review: I am usually not a big fan of the American Heritage dictionaries, especially the college versions, which tend to sacrifice good content (definitions, etymologies) for the sake of large, readable text and lavish color illustrations. This one, however, is quite different and offers definite advantage over most comparable pocket dictionaries. The text is very small but readable, there are still a great deal of illustrations/photos (esp. of famous people), but it is full of clear, consise definitions (70,000+ of them) and - unusual for a pocket dictionary - etymologies. Almost every word is followed by an etymology. All words (and their derivatives) include pronunciation. This dictionary also features an unusual number of entries for place names (incl. relatively small cities, e.g. "Tacoma: A city of W-central WA S of Seattle. Pop. 176,664") and people (even artists and such not well known by the general public, e.g. "Scho"nberg, Arnold. 1874-1951. Austrian composer"). Admittedly, such entries will not be of use to most people, but it is still impressive that they find their way into such a small dictionary (4"x7", 1.5" thick). There are also some useful charts, including (international) currency, Morse Code, Braille, and a Periodic Table of the Elements.All this is nice, but without good, clear definitions, it would be worthless. In my opinion, this dictionary delivers, offering (based on my comparisons) generally more elaborate but still clear and consise definitions, compared to the equivalent Random House dictionary. Between this and the etymologies for nearly every word, this dictionary is easily worth [the price] and much more; combined with the other features, which some will find useful, I do not hesitate to recommend it as an all-around great pocket dictionary.
Rating: 
Summary: Big Disappointment
Review: I was always a fan of the AHD, or rather, I didn't really think about it much because I always found what I needed in the big old clunky AHD3. So this new edition (AHD4) comes as a disappointment. The simple problem is, there aren't enough words defined. Recently, I was reading a rather pretentious essay. I came across a paragraph that had four words I wanted to look up. "Screed," "pellucid," "perfervid" and "consentaneous." I already thought I knew what the first three words meant, but I wasn't sure what the differences were between "pellucid" and "lucid," for example, or "perfervid" and "fervid." (As far as I can tell, the answer is: none). My concern about "screed" was whether it was a colloquialism. And "consentaneous" really threw me. Only one of these four words (pellucid) was listed in the AHD4. I found all of the words in another, older dictionary. Moreover, the dictionary is chock-full of trademark names, historical figures, popes and such, and dubiously useful illustrations of such things as the ubiquitous "cowcatcher" (it appears to be a train) and the "swan dive." (In case you don't know what he looks like, there is also a helpful portrait of the President under the entry "Bush, George W.") But no "screed." (Incidentally, this review is something of a screed, albeit a relatively restrained one.) For these reasons, I cannot recommend this dictionary to anyone seeking a comprehensive reference.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful dictionary for your backpack, or briefcase
Review: The best mass market dictionary of the market. Thank God for The American Heritage Dictionary.
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