Merriam-Webster’s Visual Dictionary: Second Edition - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0877791511 ISBN 13: 9780877791515

Publisher: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2012

Synopsis

"A wonder to behold," says Publishers Weekly about this new second edition of Merriam-Webster's Visual Dictionary. This book is an essential reference tool for any visual learner, curious kid, or student new to English. With 2,000 new and updated illustrations, including many from the fields of technology, medical equipment, and energy, it incorporates 25,000 terms and their definitions into 8,000 full-color illustrations. An index in the back helps learners locate information quickly. The book is divided into 18 chapters and 115 themes including a wide variety of fields like: astronomy, plants, food and kitchen, clothing, architecture, transportation and machinery, energy, society, sports and games. It is a perfect book for work, school, self-study, research or simple browsing.

About this title

About the Author

Since 1937. Merriam-Webster is America's foremost publisher of language-related reference works. The company publishes a diverse array of print and electronic products, including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(tm) Dictionary, Eleventh Edition - America's best-selling desk dictionary - and Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster can be considered the direct lexicographical heir of Noah Webster. In 1843, the company bought the rights to the 1841 edition of Webster's magnum opus, An American Dictionary of the English Language, Corrected and Enlarged. At the same time, they secured the rights to create revised editions of the work. Since that time, Merriam-Webster editors have carried forward Noah Webster's work, creating some of the most widely used and respected dictionaries and reference books in the world.

Review

Merriam-Webster's Visual Dictionary: Second Edition
Under the direction of Jean-Claude Corbeil. Merriam Webster, $39.95 (1112p) ISBN 978-0-87779-151-5
Not since Saussure have signifier and signified been so happily in cahoots. Adding to the 2006 edition "more than 2,000 new and updated illustrations," the latest iteration of Merriam-Webster's Visual Dictionary is a wonder to behold. Divided into 18 "themes " including astronomy, clothing, society, earth, and animals this reference volume offers crisp, clear illustrations for each of its entries (and component parts), enabling readers to envisage cutaways of detail-intensive things like jet engines, toilets, synagogues, and honeybees, as well as more abstract topics, such as painting techniques, museums, and musical notation. While spatial limitations dictate the guide be less than exhaustive (furniture gets just a handful of pages), Corbeil and company do a remarkable job in terms of breadth and editing, interweaving bar code readers and URLs, as well as a quick study of roofs and a litany of coffee makers all without overwhelming readers or leaving them feeling cheated. Visual learners, curious kids, and those new to English will likely get the most out of the book, but even the curmudgeonliest know-it-all will be mesmerized by this engaging and informative work. Illus. (Oct.)
Reviewed on: 09/17/2012 --Publishers Weekly 2012

Edition details

• Publisher: Merriam-Webster, Inc.
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0877791511
• ISBN 13: 9780877791515
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 1152
• Editor: Merriam-Webster