Rating: 
Summary: One of the best purchases of my life
Review: Every writer needs this book. It is not negotiable. I was lucky enough to find a hardcover copy of Word Menu about five years ago on a bargain book table, and at least once a month, I rave to my wife about how much I love it.All true writers know that nouns and verbs are the meat of writing. This is what makes Word Menu great. The book puts words into categories like walking, hats, and ships. Suppose you know what a certain type of gun is, but you don't know the name--with Word Menu, you'll find the exact name of the thing. I read somewhere that the author, Stephen Frazier, made this book his life's work. He is now dead, but what a legacy to leave behind! I think the next step for someone eager (or crazy) enough would be to produce a visual word menu, because often we know what an item looks like, but we don't know its name. A great, great reference tool.
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Summary: Narrative Therapists and Explorers of the Human Condition
Review: For those wishing to help people find ways to express themselves with words, Word Menu is a treasure map. It is the most useful book I have found for this purpose.
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Summary: Indespensible
Review: Has anyone heard of Eschatology? I hadn't until my writing instructor used that word in a letter he sent to me. Baffled, I looked it up in the Webster's Dictionary, but didn't find it. I checked with The Synonym Finder, but it wasn't listed there either. Finally, I turned to this book and found it in the table of contents. Eschatology is the study of afterlife.This book has been a godsend for me as a creative writer. There were times when I was writing a scene and couldn't think of a word to describe something or a term I couldn't remember. Most of the time, I found what I was looking for in these pages.Word Menu is broken down into four parts. Part One deals with NatureÂÂThe human body, living things, and the earth. Chapter One (The Human Body) is then divided into five subcategoriesÂÂAnatomy, Medical Problems, Health/Fitness/Enhancement, Hair and Grooming, Phsyical Appearance. Under these, you will find hundreds of definitions, terms, and cross-references.This dictionary covers everything from everyday items, customs, religions, etc. to the obscure and strange. For example, Eschatology. Word Menu is an indespensible tool for any type of writer, student, or anyone who wants to learn something.
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Summary: Poets and Songwriters MUST OWN THIS!
Review: I bought this years ago just out of casual curiosity, even before I ever had a thought about writing lyrics or poetry, but now I find this an absolutely invaluable reference. Writing a lyric that has a line about seeing a bird? "Hmmm...'a bluebird flew by my window...' Ugh! 'bluebird' is way too cliched... and I need an extra syllable to properly fit the melody... hmm... let's see what Glazier has to offer... birds... birds... aha - 'meadowlark'!" Ok, bad example, but you get what I mean...
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Summary: One of the most powerful word references in the world
Review: I do not write without it. Together with J.I. Rodale's The Synonym Finder and DK's Ultimate Visual Dictionary it completes the Trinity of word desk references. If you are trying to decide between this book, Facts on File's Descriptionary, and Writer's Digest's Flip Dictionary, go with this book. I have all three and I use Word Menu 40 times to every one time I use either Flip Dictionary or Descriptionary, both of which are trying to do the same thing. Flip Dictionary comes close, and tries to do things a little differently, but Word Menu is my preference.
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Summary: Find the Words to Describe the Subject of Your Choice.
Review: The "Random House Word Menu" defines words, but it is not a dictionary. It is arranged by subject, not alphabetically, and lacks word etymology and pronunciation. Unlike a thesaurus, it doesn't provide synonyms or antonyms, but words related by subject. The "Word Menu" is the product of 20 years of research by writer Stephen Glazier, whose diverse career with words includes writing novels, screenplays, copywriting, and editing. It started as lists of words organized by subject for use in writing novels, and it ended up a widely useful reference book featuring 75,000 words. The words are divided into 7 major categories: The Human Body, Living Things, Science and Technology, Domestic Life, Institutions, Arts and Leisure, Language, and The Human Condition. Each category in turn has 3 or 4 subcategories, and there are two more levels of categorization within those, constituting 800 divisions in all. Once you find the subcategory that you want, you are presented with a literal "menu" of words pertaining to the subject along with their definitions. You can find the subcategory you seek by looking at the table of contents, by using the Guide Words that tell you what category and subcategory you are in at the top of each page, or by using the index. All of the words are indexed alphabetically, so if you can think of a word related to what you need, you can locate the appropriate category easily. The "Word Menu" is most useful for finding the correct word when describing a topic in detail and for gaining familiarity with the vocabulary of a particular subject. Because the words have been selected by subject, the "Word Menu" contains far more nouns than adjectives or verbs. I found that the book's organization took a bit of getting used to before I could locate words efficiently. But the "Word Menu" is a unique and helpful writer's tool that has a place alongside my dictionary and thesaurus.
Rating:
Summary: Find the Words to Describe the Subject of Your Choice.
Review: The "Random House Word Menu" defines words, but it is not a dictionary. It is arranged by subject, not alphabetically, and lacks word etymology and pronunciation. Unlike a thesaurus, it doesn't provide synonyms or antonyms, but words related by subject. The "Word Menu" is the product of 20 years of research by writer Stephen Glazier, whose diverse career with words includes writing novels, screenplays, copywriting, and editing. It started as lists of words organized by subject for use in writing novels, and it ended up a widely useful reference book featuring 75,000 words. The words are divided into 7 major categories: The Human Body, Living Things, Science and Technology, Domestic Life, Institutions, Arts and Leisure, Language, and The Human Condition. Each category in turn has 3 or 4 subcategories, and there are two more levels of categorization within those, constituting 800 divisions in all. Once you find the subcategory that you want, you are presented with a literal "menu" of words pertaining to the subject along with their definitions. You can find the subcategory you seek by looking at the table of contents, by using the Guide Words that tell you what category and subcategory you are in at the top of each page, or by using the index. All of the words are indexed alphabetically, so if you can think of a word related to what you need, you can locate the appropriate category easily. The "Word Menu" is most useful for finding the correct word when describing a topic in detail and for gaining familiarity with the vocabulary of a particular subject. Because the words have been selected by subject, the "Word Menu" contains far more nouns than adjectives or verbs. I found that the book's organization took a bit of getting used to before I could locate words efficiently. But the "Word Menu" is a unique and helpful writer's tool that has a place alongside my dictionary and thesaurus.
Rating: 
Summary: Whoops - dont get the small one!
Review: The 3x6" version is fine to tote to a library. But for serious writing, and your writing desk, find the full-fledged version.
Rating:
Summary: Get the full-sized version!
Review: The mass-market paperback is small and abbreviated. Find this larger edition if you can, first printed 1992. My version has some pages out of order (which is particularly frustrating in a reference book) but still totally worthwile. There's also a 3x6" pocket version. But if this is to complete the trilogy (along with thesaurus and dictionary), you'll want the real magill.
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Summary: The best of its kind
Review: There are many different books that categorize words in a similar fashion as this book, but none do it as efficiently. This is simply the best of its kind, and I find myself using this regularly in my own writing.
It's impossible to be an expert on everything, or to remember every word that you've ever heard in your life. With this book, you'll be able to find and identify the words that are germane to the topic you're writing on, even if you won't know how to use them. For example, under Technology|Computers|Hardware and Peripherals, the acronym IRQ is listed. It's defined as an "Interrupt Request Line, a setting that controls communication of peripheral devices with the CPU". Now, that's one of the clearest definitions of an IRQ that I've ever come across in such few words, but seeing it there doesn't tell you how to use it. You'll still have some homework to do.
HOWEVER, if you need something like a title of rank, and are wondering what the proper term for the prime minister of an East Indian state is, you'll not only find it here, but be able to use it immediately. (The word, by the way, is Dewan.)
There are so many categories and subcategories that the scope of the book is daunting. I personally can't imagine putting it together, but am grateful that it was.
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