Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0028631188, Hardcover)

Is "legislator" pronounced with an "er" sound at the end or an "or"? Is the Jewish festival of lights spelled "Chanukah," "Hanuka," or "Hanukkah"? With Webster's New World College Dictionary, which promises to describe rather than prescribe, you can take your pick. The dictionary includes more than 150,000 entries, including brief biographical and geographical notes and useful drawings and diagrams (depictions of four kinds of buoys, for example). The guide to pronunciation and symbols is given on every other page, handy for those who don't like to refer to the inside cover each time they forget how to pronounce the sound of the schwa (of course, the guides on the inside and front covers are more extensive). Starred words refer to Americanisms, which number more than 11,000, such as "hornswoggle" and "Hopi" and "kitchenette." The definitions themselves are clear and simple and seldom have you scurrying to another page for a definition of the definition. Easy to use and understand, Webster's New World College Dictionary is a fine addition to any high school or college student's desk set. --Rebecca A. Staffel