Review of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary) (Hardcover)

Noah Webster wrote the first American English dictionary in the 1806 and his name has come to be synonymous with the word "dictionary" in the US. As a result, every dictionary in the US that wants to make anysales calls itself a "Webster's."

The M-W, however, is theoriginal and still the best. I have every major American English dictionaryin publication, and several British dictionaries, including the RandomHouse, the Webster's 3rd (the unabridged dictionary), Microsoft'sdictionary, the Oxford Dictionary, and several learner'sdictionaries.

Frankly, the differences among the top three,i.e., the M-W,the Random House, and the Microsoft (on CD), are not that great--choose aword like "efficiency" and see how each is defined. You mightthink they were all working together. That said, I have so say the M-W isstill my favorite. Further, the M-W dictionary is consistently rated #1 insurveys of academics and language scholar.

I am a professional languageand test preparation instructor and rely on good dictionaries for precisedefinitions of words. The M-W consistently gives clear, accuratedictionaries and apposite examples. One extra feature that helps wordlovers like me understand the words better is that M-W lists definitions inthe order that they came into use, with the most recent usage last. Thistype of listing is extremely helpful for understanding how a word hasevolved and what it is about that word that remains and what is notessential to the meaning. Such an understanding of words is essential forGRE and SAT preparation and is one of the main reasons I regularly turn tothe M-W.

In short, it's your best option for an American Englishdictionary.



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Review of Random House Webster's College Dictionary (Hardcover)

I write as a hobby and am a reference book addict. I own 10 dictionaries. I've had my copy of RH/Webster's for 3 years and have yet to find a word not listed in stunning detail. Buy this dictionary!



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Review of Oxford English Reference Dictionary (Hardcover)

I only bought this dictionary because David Foster Wallace constantly raves about the "OED", which is a full (and expensive) twenty volume set. So this (...) book was more in my price range. Despite it's shorter length, I have definitely got more than my money's worth in this book. Sometimes I take a break from my day and pick it up and browse through the pages. Besides being able to find over 99% of the words for which I've searched, it's got an uncountable number of historical, geographical, etc. facts and backgrounders. If you're a learning nerd, this is a good book to have.



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Review of Concise Oxford English Dictionary: 11th Edition Revised 2008 (Hardcover)

This dictionary is just perfect, there is almost no word in it one cannot find, and every word is combined with examples. I have used a lot of dictionaries in my life, but none is better.




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Review of Adobe Acrobat 9 PDF Bible (Paperback)

So far, I have only used the book as a reference while working with Pro 9, but at some point, I hope to be able to read the entire book.

Product Description
Find just what you need to incorporate PDFs in your workflows with the newest edition of this perennial top-selling reference and tutorial from Acrobat guru, Ted Padova. He packs these pages with tips guaranteed to help you get the most out of this powerful software. You'll find techniques for creating, editing, and repurposing PDFs for everything from print to CD-ROMs, the Internet, e-book content, and more. Keep this classic within reach-you'll turn to it again and again.

From the Back Cover

" The Adobe Acrobat 9 PDF Bible is the comprehensive guide to Acrobat for novices and power users alike. With its concise, easy-to-read format, this book will have you creating interactive XML forms, enabling streamlined document review processes, and publishing high-impact electronic documents in no time."
- Rick Brown, Director of Product Management, Adobe Acrobat

Master the gold standard for portable documents

Find just what you need to incorporate PDFs in your workflows with the newest edition of this perennial top-selling reference and tutorial from Acrobat guru, Ted Padova. He packs these pages with tips guaranteed to help you get the most out of this powerful software. You'll find techniques for creating, editing, and repurposing PDFs for everything from print to CD-ROMs, the Internet, e-book content, and more. Keep this classic within reach-you'll turn to it again and again.

• Get up to date on PDF standards and Acrobat 9's new features

• Convert to PDF from Office, Macs, Web pages, or Adobe CS

• Set up, save, and repurpose PDF files for print, Web, or CDs

• Create interactive forms and add security

• Preflight your PDFs for commercial printing

• Add sound to PDF pages, import video, and more

• Learn all about using Acrobat.com services for sharing files

What's on the CD-ROM?

The bonus CD-ROM is loaded with training videos, sample PDF documents, a tips-and-techniques e-Book, and a full searchable PDF version of the book.

System Requirements: See the CD appendix for details and complete system requirements.

Ted Padova has written more than 30 computer books and is one of the world's leading authors on Adobe Acrobat. Look for his upcoming publications Creative Suite 4 Bible and PDF Forms Using Acrobat 9 and LiveCycle Designer Bible from Wiley.



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