More on dictionaries
Many writers and readers have a dictionary of choice. My friend Chrestomanci once told me of a professor of hers who noted that the good thing about softcover dictionaries is that one needs only dig a very small hole in which to bury them.
When I went dictionary shopping a few years ago, I narrowed my choice to two editions: the American Heritage 4th edition and the New Oxford American Dictionary. Both were very good. I used advice from my friend Queenie, a book maven, to compare the two. She recommends looking up three things: a common word, an uncommon word and a proper name. For the purposes of this story, I am wishing very hard that I recalled what three words I chose. Alas, I do not.
Though the Oxford book had a brand-name cache, and the American Heritage was full of sometimes cheesy and not always thoughtfully chosen or cropped photos, I gave the edge to the American Heritage. I did not buy it for home, though, because another feature of the American Heritage is that it is available online for free at Dictionary.com. Rarely do I support paying for online content. (Notable exceptions are Cook’s Illustrated and Consumer Reports. I must also admit that my husband broke down and subscribed to Salon earlier this year. I’m not sure if I support that decision, but I do enjoy its result.)
I know I run the risk of incurring judgment from other bibliophiles that the only physical dictionary I own is a mass-market paperback, of the ilk that Chrestomanci’s professor decried. And yet, I manage. I can rejoice in good, free, online content while also saving space on the shelf for other books whose contents I prefer in physical form.
December 17th, 2004 at 2:37 pm
Dear heavens, why do you object to paying for online content? I don’t know that I have a strong opinion on the subject myself, but something about yours intrigues me. It could be that I am a devout believer that things need not be things in order to be worth money, or it could be a passing thing. Anyway, if you care to say more, I’d be interested to hear it.