This is a very useful book, especially for family feuds. Almost every word we have argued about can be found in this book, such as "often" (pronounced AWF-en not AFW-ten) and "err" (pronounced as UR not AIR). (He writes, "AIR for err is right up there in the competition for the Great Beastly Mispronunciation of All Time.") In addition, the author's explanations make fun slams at people who mispronounce these words, such as "uneasy half-literates" and those who are "putting on the dog." His disquisition on the pronunciation of valet is particularly entertaining and informative. Yes, you can hear pronunciations now via the internet, but you won't get the commentary and history along with it. This book is quite fun for "wordies." ( )