Book Notes

Reference Books

Despite all those wonderful reference sites on the Web, we're still addicted to the smell and feel of paper. Here are some of our favorites. We've provided links to our affiliate site, Amazon.com, in case you decide that you, too, can't live without them:

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 3rd edition (1994).

We fell in love with this dictionary when the first edition was published almost thirty years ago. After two revisions, it remains our favorite desk dictionary.

It's beautifully designed, with many black-and-white illustrations in its wide margins. Its etymologies are extensive for a one-volume work, and the quotations used to illustrate meanings are well chosen and wide ranging.

We especially love the usage notes, which reflect the views of a distinguished panel of scholars and writers. True to the descriptive school of lexicography, the notes ignore the old notion of "correctness." Differences of opinion among the panelists about what is acceptable are frequently noted, leaving the ultimate choice to the reader.

After purchasing a paperback version to support my bedside reading, I was disappointed to learn that the usage notes appear only in the hard cover editions. The good news, however, is that the entire contents of the hard-cover edition is accessible online.

The fourth edition of this word-lover's treasure is due out within the next few weeks. We can hardly wait. 7/31/00

Wired Style, revised and updated edition (1999).

Constance Hale and Jessie Scanlon of the Wired magazine editorial staff have given us a smart, spunky compendium of definitions and usage notes for the digerati and those who wannabe. From "10 Principles for Writing Well in the Digital Age" through the "A to Z" of computer lingo to the pithy "Style FAQ," Wired Style is funny, direct, and oh so opinionated.

The authors are ever conscious that the English language is a work in progress. By tampering with the rules and taking a playful attitude, Hale and Scanlon encourage readers to do the same.

With its many references to Web sites and cybercelebrities, this book is an excellent tour guide to the Net for newbies. But make no mistake. Wired Style may epitomize the technoculture, but it is rooted in a writer's sensibility and a passion for wordplay. We miss the hardcovered, spiral-bound format of the first edition, but the new paperbound edition is never too far from our workstation. 7/31/00