general

Overall, I have been favorably impressed with "The American Heritage Dictionary," fourth edition (paperback). At under 1,000 pages, it strikes a good balance between compactness and comprehensiveness. But on closer look, I found some faults.

The dictionary's good points are plainly visible. It has an easy-on-the eyes arrangement. There are many good illustrative photographs. There are brief biographical and geographical entries interspersed among the general entries.

Now for the drawbacks. First: Where are the cuss words? That might seem like an odd criticism, but slang and vulgar words ARE a part of the English language--a part which, furthermore, often turns up in works of literature. I see no justification for leaving out the notorious "f-word" and its colorful brethren.

The dictionary is also oddly inconsistent in noting that some "acceptable" words also have uses as vulgar slang. Yes, the compilers note that "bitch" has a rude meaning in addition to its proper definition. But they fail to provide similar data for many comparable terms.

I also noted another curious flaw: the definitions of certain words derived from people's names (Kafkaesque, Wagnerian, etc.) are not given at all. These words are just tacked on as undefined appendages to the brief biographical entries. So if someone tells you that their life is a Kafkaesque nightmare and you don't know what they mean, this dictionary will be useless to you.

I just recently purchased this dictionary, but my early inspection of the product has certainly left me with some doubts. Hopefully the next edition will correct these problems, and other flaws that my fellow users discover.

I am a man of many dictionaries, in many languages. I keep a Webster-Merriam Unabridged in my study, plus earlier editions of the American Heritage, and I also keep one-volume dictionaries in each room of my house. But this present 4th edition American Heritage is very special; it has quickly become my favorite of all the English-language dictionaries that I own. First, there is the physical layout -- the beautiful pictures, the type face that makes for easy reading, the wonderful color. But mainly it is a matter of sheer amount and quality of information. Try, for instance, the "f-word." Of course we all know how to spell it and what it means when a teenager yells it. But did you its history in the English language ? The 4th edition tells it. You may think that you don't want to know, but after you read this word history, and many others in this book, you know that you will not want to do without this dictionary ever again. Of course, this book is no substitute for an unabridged. I tried it on the phrase "term of art," something that comes up frequently in court opinions and other learned discussions. This dictionary will not tell you what the phrase means, but my trusty Webster-Merriam Unabridged will. So you see, you too need to be a person of many dictionaries, or at the very least of two.

American Heritage is my favorite dictionary and I finally set my old one out to pasture and bought this edition four months ago. I have not been disappointed in the least. It's thorough with a very clear type set and readable fonts. I don't know about you, but microscopic print is useless to me regardless of the text. I'd never use the magnifying lens that comes with the OED. American Heritage is inexpensive and quite helpful so that's why I recommend it.