Reading English books for decades one has to buy a new dictionary every 5 years or so. Some serve a special purpose like picture or slang dictionaries, others are supplied with a CD-ROM. Traditional dictionaries contain a lot of information the learner doesn't really need to know such as foreign headword, history of English or proof-reading marks.

Most useful of these dictionaries is the MacMillan which is shipped with a CD-ROM.

Duden Oxford Bildwörterbuch
Deutsch und Englisch, ISBN 3-411-05512-X, 1994, ca. 450 Seiten.

384 Bildtafeln, Deutsches und Englisches Register mit rund 55'000 Stichwörter.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary
Ninth Edition, ISBN 0-19-861320-2, 1995, 1673 pages.

140'000 meanings, 2 million words of text.

Provides a wealth of information, it's the one I use most and it shows, the back cover is breaking apart.

MacMillan English Dictionary for advanced Learners
The new learners' dictionary, ISBN 0-333-96668-6, 2002, 1690 pages.

Easy to use, clear simple explanations using only 2500 of the most common words.

22-page Language Awareness section.
Over 100'000 references with 30'000 idioms and phrases.
Over 1000 illustrated words.
Two full colour inserts.

Includes CD-ROM and free access to the online editon. Each word spoken in American and British English.

MacMillan Phrasal Verbs Plus
The two-colour dictionary with extra features to help you master phrasal verbs in English, ISBN 1-4050-6390-4, 2005, 524 pages.

Grammar patterns explained by real-life examples
Lists of collocations help you speak and write more naturally
Up-to-date information about phrasal verbs in general English, as well as in business, Internet and computing contextts
Over 100 cartoons illustrate meaning
An index lets you find phrasal verbs by starting with single-word verbs which you already know
Explanations of how particles contribute to the meaning of phrasahl verbs
Hundreds of synonyms and antonyms help build your vocabulary
Language Study articles on pronounciation, register, grammar, metaphor and learner errors

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
Eleventh Edition, ISBN 0-87779-809-5, 2003, 1624 pages.

225'000 clear and precise definitions.
165'000 entries.
40'000 usage examples.
12'000 geographical names.
700 pictorial illustrations.

Includes CD-ROM, however no spoken English on it.

The Cassell Dictionary of Slang
Jonathan Green, ISBN 0-304-34435-4, 1998, 1316 pages.

All types of slang terms and expressions are included: criminal jargon, the language of sex, drink and drugs, slang associated with different ways of life, insults, swear words and expletives, rhyming slang and back slang. They are drawn from a vast range of sources, oral and written, and from all parts of the English-speaking world, from London to the Bronx and from Australia to South Africa.

A stunning collection of terms and 'idioms'.

Ultimate Visual Dictionary
A Dorling Kindersley Book, ISBN 0-7513-3743-9, 2002, 672 pages.

With over 31'500 terms, more than 6'000 dazzling colour photographs and 1'000 detailed illustrations, this is both an encyclopedia and a dictionary.

The pictures-each meticulously annotatedby a team of experts-present a huge range of information from a unique perspective, giving a real understanding of even the most complex subjects.

The Oxford Paperback American Dictionary
A. S. Hornby, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-281992-5, 1986, 714 pages.

Over 35'000 words and phrases.
Clear, comprehensive definitions.
American idioms and slang expressions.
Comprehensive information on American grammar and spelling.
150 drawings and photographs.

Not wholly convincing, too heavy paper and too few entries.

Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language
Popular Library Paperback Edition, 1973, 664 pages.

More than 55'000 entries.
The only such dictionary that distinguishes transitive from intransitive verbs.

I bought it in 1973 in a department store and it's still my smallest with most entries in relation to its size. It's falling apart but I still take it on trips abroad.

Dictionary of Engineering
McGraw-Hill, ISBN 978-0-07-141050-2, 2003, 643 pages

More than 18,000 entries, includes synonyms, acronyms, and abbreviations, provides pronunciations for all terms, covers such topics as building construction, chemical engineering, control systems, design engineering, electrical engineering, engineering acoustics,industrial engineering, mechanical engineering and thermodynamics

Includes an appendix containing tables of useful data and information.

Dictionary of Electrical and Computer Engineering
McGraw-Hill, ISBN 978-0-07-144210-7, 2003, 684 pages

The MacGraw-Hill Dictionary of Electrical and Computer Engineering provides a compendium of more than 18,000 terms that are central to these fields as well as related fields. In addition to computer science, electronics, electricity, and electrical engineering, coverage includes terminology in control systems, engineering acoustics, system engineering, and communications.

Includes an appendix containing tables of useful data and information.

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Text und Bilder Robert Pfeffer
CH-8180 Bülach

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