Random House Word Menu: New and Essential Companion to the Dictionary - Hardcover

Glazier, Stephen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679400303 ISBN 13: 9780679400301

Publisher: Random House Reference, 1992

Synopsis

A revolutionary tool that has changed the way we use words, the Random House Word Menu functions in four ways: it is a thesaurus with definitions; a dictionary divided into word categories; a reverse dictionary; and a collection of glossaries. A writer's right hand and a browser's delight, this reference contains thousands of entries in over 800 categories.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

ary tool that has changed the way we use words, the Random House Word Menu functions in four ways: it is a thesaurus with definitions; a dictionary divided into word categories; a reverse dictionary; and a collection of glossaries. A writer's right hand and a browser's delight, this reference contains thousands of entries in over 800 categories.

Reviews

Part thesaurus, part dictionary, part glossary, part vocabulary builder, part logophile's delight, this unique wordbook can be used productively for both quick reference and browsing. The book, which first appeared as a software product for PCs under the title Inside Information (Microlytics, 1990), classifies approximately 65,000 words into seven general categories (Nature, Science and Technology, Domestic Life, Arts and Leisure, etc.), which in turn are divided into numerous subcategories and sub-subcategories. Under Eating, for instance, a major subdivision of Domestic Life, the user finds several headings, including Foods, Cooking and Cuisine, and Eating Verbs; under the last heading, such terms as bolt , chew , chow down , devour , engorge , inhale , masticate , pig out , and quaff are briefly defined. A detailed table of contents provides access to the classification scheme and an A-Z index lists all words included in the book. Sometimes the Word Menu fails. Just two examples: superlatives such as best, first-class, outstanding, topnotch, and world class are not included, nor is amniocentesis found under Pregnancy and Birth. Notwithstanding its limitations, this book is enthusiastically recommended for all libraries, even the smallest. Glazier, a brilliant amateur lexicographer who died in early 1992 at age 44, has created the first bona fide classification of the English language since the 19th century, when Peter Mark Roget, another talented amateur, made a lasting name for himself.
- Ken Kister, author of "Best Encyclopedias," Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Reference
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0679400303
• ISBN 13: 9780679400301
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 977