Everyone should own a collegiate dictionary--that is, a substantial, if still abridged, dictionary with far more information than you find by just googling a word--or that would even fit in a pocket dictionary. Well, anyone who has to routinely compose writing more complex than grocery lists. My old Random House College Dictionary proved perfectly serviceable for decades--which was the problem. The copyright was 1984. You couldn't even find the word "internet" there, let alone such words in my shiny new Meriam-Webster (11th Edition) as: microblogging, smartphone, social media and tweet. So, with the new year, out with the old, in with the new! And this comes with the ability to download a digital version on your computer with registration.

There's a reason by the way I went with Merriam-Webster rather than choosing a new edition of Random House. The most important thing I think in a dictionary isn't just that it's thorough and accurate--it's of greatest value if it's standard and authoritative. And I'd read in multiple sources that the Meriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary is the standard dictionary in American publishing, one of the essential tools of an editor. At least an American editor--I'm sure those writing in British English will cherish their Oxford English Dictionary! ( )

this book is great to find words and their meanings ( )

Can't read much without this book around. AND it comes with a CD so I don't even need to grab the book. I try to keep one in every room of the house. (For you who don't know me, I'm practically illiterate without my dictionary, and I can't even spell "kat" without it. ( )

I must have every edition of the M-W Collegiate... I'm even on line with them now-a-days. The definitions are almost poetry, the typography is everything a dictionary should be and the illustrations are gems. Other dictionaries are just word lists. ( )