Re: Dictionaries

[nsivin@xxxxxxxx (Nathan Sivin)]

Harmon:

Re the Random House Webster's, I bought it a couple of years ago from one of
the standard discount suppliers, probably CompuClassics, for about $35. It
wasn't available on CD-ROM then. It takes a little less than 9M of disk space,
if you choose to install thesaurus, pronunciations and etymology, probably
about 5-6M if you don't. I haven't seen the Webster's New World even mentioned
in a review, which dissuades me from considering it. Since
I consider the printed version of it the best around, it is worth trying out,
or hunting down reviews.

I use a large and frequently arcane vocabulary in various kinds of writing, but
I find the dictionary adequate to my needs. The currently promoted version, an
"office" rather than "college" ed., would not be. The thesaurus is not nearly
as inclusive, so that I use a very large printed one moderately often.

-- Nathan Sivin
History and Sociology of Science
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia PA 19104-3325