Rating: 
Summary: Dictionary
Review: Does one really review a dictionary. It satisfied my needs.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Dictionary Around
Review: Your dictionary is your best friend, so why not make it Mirriam-Websters? This dictionary is awesome; it has every word you could ever dream of needing and lots of interesting information in the beginning about the history of the English language. And it's realtively inexpensive. (I married my copy, but that's a long story...)
Rating: 
Summary: Maudlin and Trite
Review: This "dictionary" is the very epitome of bad taste and misinformed poppycock. Why on Earth do I need to see a picture of a dog (page 794--Norwegian elkhound) yet there is no picture of novaculite. The definition of novaculite is so inaccurate as to boggle the mind. The "dictionary" has "a very hard fine-grained siliceous rock..." When any geologist worth his salt knows that novaculite is only a mildly hard, moderately grained rock of SEDIMENTARY origin, NOT siliceous origin. Inaccuracies abound in this horribly written tricksy tome. I suggest instead using the New World Dictionary instead.
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Summary: M-W's Always Within Reach
Review: As a professional author with my debut mystery novel in its initial release, the second series book written and in the publishing pipeline, and the third being written as I write this review, I suppose I know a thing or four about decent books. This dictionary features an exhaustive vocabulary. I have to admit, though, that the plot is weak and characterization is nonexistent. It is practically impossible to read this book straight through in one sitting.Seriously, in addition to being a mystery author, I am also a professional educator. I received a comped copy of this dictionary from an ever hopeful textbook peddler. His comping me paid off. We adobted this dictionary at the high school at which I teach, and MERRIAM WEBSTER'S COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY is the only dictionary I ever use in either of my professions. It is always within my reach.
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Summary: Meets Most Needs, But Do You Need to Buy a Dictionary?
Review: As a professional who writes a lot, the 10th edition of "Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary" meets my needs. But I rarely use this book? Why? Merriam-Webster has placed its Collegiate Dictionary and Collegiate Thesaurus on-line... Access is free. Since I usually keep my Internet browser on-line as I work, I just use the on-line version of the dictionary and thesaurus. I suggest that you consider first using the on-line resources. If you find that you need a hard-copy version of the dictionary, you can always buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: bittersweet addition to my library
Review: i guess i bought this expecting too much. I read such good reviews about it, that i decided to give it a shot. Boy, was i let down. It has ABSOLUTELY NO plot!!! I supose if your just in the mood for words, then this is the book for you, but if you're looking to snuggle up with a nice story on a cold winters night, you might want to try a novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but out of date?
Review: A British copyeditor who increasingly works for American publishers, I was keen to have an up-to-date reference to American usage. Although the M-W is undoubtedly a very pleasant dictionary to use, and excellent for most purposes, I have been perturbed to discover that Americanisms such as 'SUV' and 'buff' are missing. Both of these are included in the (British!) Concise Oxford Dictionary (tenth edition), published shortly after the Collegiate (buff: 'Amer. informal in good physical shape; muscular'; SUV: 'abbrev. sport utility vehicle'). Surprisingly, therefore, I have to rate the Oxford higher for American usage than the M-W, although the latter remains a valuable addition to my reference library.
Rating:
Summary: Not Interesting at All!
Review: I've heard of avant-garde writing, but this is ridiculous! First of all, there is no discernable plot. Second of all, no style - hard even to find a narrative "voice" although the author does adopt a scholarly, fairly arrogant tone that calls to mind Nabakov's "Humpbert Humpbert." All this is is words and, in some sad last look at modernism and its desire to classify, their "meanings." The words appear to be in alphabetical order, although I have not read all of this, and there are suggested techniques for speaking the words - the author's desire to impose him/herself (Merriam Webster? must be a woman) is wholly lacking in even basic awareness of cultural studies. Nevertheless, one does appreciate attempts at new literature. Still, I'd like to take this to the shed out back with my copy of "Of Grammatology" and deconstruct it.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed...
Review: In looking for a new dictionary, I was extremely interested in having a non audio updated version for my computer and could be used with other programs, ie: MS Word. The program is easy to install and use, however, I found it to be at least 2 years out of date, if not more, and with old GDI's. It fits the basic needs of an electronic dictionary, but am surprided that Merriam-Webster is still promoting and selling this product.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best and Most Exhaustive Dictionaries Available
Review: I have used Webster's New World Dictionary, The Merriam Webster compact dictionary and now Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary(MWCD). I must say that the MWCD is by the far the best of the three. When I am reading texts that deal with the philosophy of science or the philosophy of language I always have this dictionary with me to refer to. I have yet to find a term or a word that was not listed in MWCD. Also, in the back of the tenth edition of MWCD is a listing and description of biographical names, geographical names, abbreviations, signs and symbols for mathematics, medicine, physics, reference marks, etc., and a small "handbook of style" which explains punctuation Capitalization, Italicization, etc. Finally, this dictionary also contains a section on MLA documentation, Forms of Addresses, and an Index. Thus, not only can you find all the various usages for the words listed in the dictionary (with the etymological info, and definition), but you also get all the extra tools that I mentioned above. What more could you ask for from a dictionary? If you are a student (at any level), a writer, researcher, or just one who likes to read and have need of a dictionary from time to time, then this is the best available dictionary (in my estimation) available.
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