This book could be described in many ways but ultimately I think it is a book about that fundamental question, "What should we do with our life?" Set in the town of Owasso, Michigan during the months between the Republican convention and presidential election in 1948, the large cast of characters and relatively simple plot serve to highlight a range of both political and personal values that influence how people choose to live. Every character in the novel (including the elderly and middle aged characters) must make difficult decisions that will effect the rest of their own and other's lives. The somewhat comic and very understanding perspective that Mallon brings to these decisions and their consequences give the book a lightness that, I think, detracts from the seriousness of his subject. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to read and I look forward to seeking out other books by Thomas Mallon.

"Dewey Defeats Truman" is my first reading of Thomas Mallon, and I unequivocally recommend this novel to anyone interested in American history in the immediate postwar era; or for that matter, to anyone simply interested in a good story of a time ostensibly more innocent than our own. At times some the characters display an inside-the-beltway sort of cynicism about politics that would only seem possible in today's climate, but I suppose that was the reality even back then! As with any historical fiction, liberties with facts have probably been taken for the sake of art, though presumably not at the risk of revisionism, I'm certain. Initially, I was somewhat troubled by what seemed too many gratuitous cultural references from the 1940¹s--I could have done without Jack Riley's fantasy about Peggy Lee while trysting with Louise Rutkowski in his office --but then again baby boomers & Gen X'ers have a hard time picturing Lee, the legendary recording star, as the sultry, sexy song stylist she indeed was--a big-band version of one of today's interchangeable pop goddesses--only someone with real talent! But as I continued, and warmed up to Mallon's narrative, these references became welcome additions to the text, giving added dimension and deeper insight to that bygone time. Whether or not Mallon's portrait of small-town 1948, particularly the uniqueness of Owosso, Michigan in that year, is wholly accurate, the characters for the most part are very real. Although I felt instinctively from the beginning that Anne Macmurray, given her upper-middle class East Coast background, would eventually have doubts about Jack (while denying her smitten, magnetic tug towards the caddish, privileged Peter Cox), their relationship was nonetheless believable, cemented together, however tenuously, by Anne's attraction to the earthier "other" , and her social conscience, which she could see as best served only by another Truman administration. At times Anne seems oddly contemporary in her in! dependence, but she is also tempered by the traditional social restrictions of her time (maybe typical of women in the period just after WWII??). Peripherally, I enjoyed Jane Herrick--the rather daffy grieving mother--tremendously, given over to statistical and mathematical eccenctricities following the death of her son in service to the country. And even Horace Sinclair, though drawn a little too predictably curmudgeonly for his age and purpose in the story, was a wonderful addition to the myriad cast of Owosso characters. The integration of history and personal relationships in "Dewey Defeats Truman" could have been an awkward stew if written by someone less gifted than Mallon, but it works beautifully in his hands, evolving chapter by chapter, coalescing page by page, until the reader has actually felt the excitement (an excitement Americans no longer seem to experience) of a Presidential race too close to call, at a time (before we had become so smugly superior!) when America truly was destined for--dare I say it?--greatness.

I am quite taken by this story. It is a rich, layered story of love and the turning points of many lives in the summer and fall of 1948. Mallon challenges us to think a little differently and a little more deeply about the choices we face, and shows that 'following one's heart' is not so clear and easy (or maybe even 'right'). While I am surprised by the negative reviews I found here, they are just another reminder that whether we love or dislike a book sometimes says as much about our tastes, mood, circumstance, expectations etc. as it does about the quality of what the author has created. (See the reviews for Annie Proulx's The Shipping News in Amazon). I think Mallon has progressed far from Aurora 7, (the other work of his I have read), a nice book but not nearly so affecting. I especially admire his respectful treatment of all these characters, which is tougher than leaning on cynicism, which seems more common. But in stepping from story to story in this collection of people of Owosso, the shifts in viewpoint sometimes tumble too abruptly. The book slowed a bit in the middle (though never to a 'slog' as two other readers found). Some of the sub-stories don't work as well for me (Horace Sinclair's dilemma, and the follow through on Tim Herrick), and I suppose he might have done more to further develop Peter Cox and his relationship with Anne M. But I still found this fresh, unique and a moving read.

Edmonds' 1941 Newbery book offers authentic details of life in Dutch New York state--served up in a pleasant format. Children
quickly outgrew the age of innocence on the frontier, when survival for English and Dutch colonists was difficult because of hostile Frenchmen and desperate Indians. Young readers will enjoy the family dynamics in this tale of personal courage and maternal resourcefulness, which is enhanced by the black/and white (and some color) illustrations of Paul Lantz. Readers of all ages will marvel at the determination of a ten-year-old boy.

When Father Teunis must depart with the local militia, to quell an uprising near Albany, Mother Gertrude forms a bold plan to save her young family in case Indians attack. Defenseless without the head of the household? Not at all--thanks to grandfather's old Spanish muzzle-loader over the mantle. Based
on historical fact and family oral tradition, this tale will delight children of all ages. Those were the days when men were Men--and sometimes young boys had to be, too! This story, in its large, softback edition, remains as fresh as when it was originally penned. Americans can appreciate their tradition of proud, immigrant pluck. Edward's family was here to stay!

I am a student of West Virginia State College, currently taking a class on Children's Literature. Mr. Samples (A Wonderful Teacher) has instructed us to review a Newbery winner and write our thoughts on it. I read this book with the thoughts that it would be a classic book for children but was amazed at the difficulty level in reading it. This is a book based on historical fiction, about a 18th century family living in a Dutch settlement here in colonial America. The difficulty came for the extensive use of Dutch words and places. There is no way that a child that is beginning to read, or one that has read for a short time, could read these words in this book. This book has a good story, a bit violent for today, but yet historically valuable. I would recommend this book as a book read by the parent (but read it first to figure out the words) to the child.

Winner of the 1942 John Newbery Medal for most significant contribution to children's literature, "The Matchlock Gun" is one of the shortest--yet one of the most memorable--of all the Newbery Medal books. I've read every one of the Newbery books from 1922 through 2000, and this little story made a big impression on me. The novel covers but a day in the life of a very young boy who is left at home with the huge responsibility of safeguarding his family in the absence of his father.

SYNOPSIS: Edward ("Ateoord" in the story) Van Alstyne's father, Teunis, is a captain in the Guilderland militia and leaves the family overnight to defend their small community outside Albany City, NY against the French and Indians. The militia is unable to hold the Indians at the bridge, however, and five Indians reach the Van Alstyne farm.

Gertrude (Edward's mother) has the foresight to rig up her grandfather's heavy, awkward Spanish matchlock gun through a hole in the window shutter and acts as a decoy, picking beans in the garden, until the Indians reach the house. Edward must then defend his wounded mother and protect his family with the huge, ungainly weapon.

IMPRESSIONS: Today it is quite seldom that extremely young children must bear adult responsibilities in the face of such danger. Historical fiction like this is compelling reading; "The Matchlock Gun" is a very brief but well-written story which should interest any young reader.

* I was a bit surprised when I picked up Edmund S. Morgan's
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN and found that it was only about 300 pages
long. Professor Morgan is clearly a scholar, and scholars
generally don't write short, simple works. Short, simple
works don't win them any prestige, they're not distinctive
enough to be salable, and besides, scholars are generally so
deeply into a subject that doing something short isn't all
that satisfying to them.

Of course, I wasn't unhappy about finding a short biography
of the magnificent Franklin. Big scholarly biographies are
a fine thing in themselves, but they generally give me several
times more than I want to know or could retain, and a short
simple biography makes it easier to see the forest for the
trees.

However, on reading Professor Morgan's FRANKLIN it wasn't quite
what I was expecting. Instead of a simple, general biography,
what Professor Morgan provides is a book that focuses mostly on
Franklin's political development and work. As such, it seems
more like a selectively edited-down version of a much larger
work.

This was a bit disappointing because I was expecting something
more casual and entertaining, but that being said I have to go
on and say this is a good book. After all, it would almost
take effort to make Benjamin Franklin seem dull and uninteresting,
and if Professor Morgan doesn't focus on how colorful Franklin
was, he doesn't ignore it, either. One of my favorite comments
was Franklin reporting how, in a pre-Revolutionary visit to
France, the French got him to wear French clothes and adopt
French customs, and soon, he concluded, he would have to start
making love to the wives of his friends.

Still, it is telling about Professor Morgan's book that he
doesn't add the famous story about how Franklin took to
wearing a coonskin cap during his diplomatic effort in France
to reinforce their perceptions of him as a person from a
wild, frontier country -- when Franklin had lived in cities
all his life. So this book comes across as a bit neither fish
nor fowl, not exactly the kind of book that would light up
someone who was just starting out on Franklin, and not
all that satisfactory to someone who couldn't get enough of
him and would want a lot more.

Benjamin Franklin by Edmund S. Morgan is not only an excellent biography, but an insightful review of American history surrounding the Revolution-a history that I had mostly forgotten since my high school days. The book is particularly good in describing Franklin as the full-time statesman (post 1757). Certainly, no book could ever equal his autobiography in describing his "earlier" years.

The book succeeds in producing such a favorable impression of the character of Benjamin Franklin and the justness of the American Revolution that one wonders whether the book is highly skewed in those regards. In the end, I think not. Franklin was a most remarkable man, not only because he was both a scientist and a public servant, but he was highly virtuous as well.

I found the casual, almost colloquial, style of writing difficult to follow at times, particularly at the beginning of the book. Also, Prof. Morgan often repeats facts, sometimes separated only by a page or two. Although this habit was annoying at first, I came to appreciate its usefulness in reminding the reader of key pieces of information.

After reading this book, it's virtually impossible to say anything bad about Benjamin Franklin. John Adams apparently thought he was indolent, but that's probably because Adams didn't understand Franklin's style. And what a style he had! Take, for example, his famous quote about Adams: "...is always an honest Man, often a Wise One, but sometimes and in some things, absolutely out of his Senses". A candid, but balanced observation, considering the damage Adams had done to the diplomatic relationships Franklin worked so hard to build with France.

Edmund Morgan's affection for Franklin comes through loud and clear in this well-written, absorbing book. There's not much of Franklin's family life here, although is touches on his relationships with his wife and two children. The focus is on his role as a public servant, which he took very seriously, and his modus operandi, which is fascinating.

A highly social person, as a youth Franklin began founding organizations for the public good. He was responsible for organizing the first lending library and the first volunteer fire company. He later put this skill into diplomatic work with England and France and for the revolutionary cause. In addition to the enormous service he gave to his country, he took delight in being of service to his fellow man worldwide through his scientific research and inventions. The two most notable inventions were lightning rods (arising from his discovery of electricity) and the Franklin stove.

At least as impressive as his accomplishments is the mastery with which he dealt with people, particularly in delicate situations. He knew when and how to use his renowned wit. Although he had strong views, he recognized the power of popular opinion and was capable of suppressing his views to achieve results.

This is a well-written, well-organized portrait of Benjamin Franklin as public servant and social genius.

I own both the Ratcliffe book on Sargent and Sargent Abroad, and I find this book to be a fine addition to my library of Sargent books. Frankly, the criticisms here regarding the reproductions are greatly overstated, in my opinion. I have no quarrel with the reprductions in my copy, except that I would welcome more detail shots and a larger format for the book in general. The abundance of notes and the photos of Sargent and his studio (etc.) have to be appreciated by any serious student of Sargent.

I have no idea what the others are complaining about. I compared this Sargent book side by side at a book store with other published Sargent books, and this one had the best reproduction by far. It is even better than "John Singer Sargent : The Early Portraits (The Complete Paintings , Vol 1)", which is by the same author and editor as this one. Make no mistake, this is the best book so far I've seen on Sargent. I'm not concerned about the writing since I'm a fan of Sargent because I'm a painter, and he's one of the best there ever was. Sure I'd read the text, but it's not nearly as important as the reproductions of his paintings. It's all about the paintings, and he is an artist. That's all that matters.

I found a battered and bruised copy of this collection in a bookstore and had ample time to compare the quality of the pictures with many of the highly rated, thicker Sargent compendiums. While the Carter book documents the technique and career of this master of light admirably, this publication stands as the one where Sargent's work seems most marvelously luminous. Though not an expert, I believe through comparison and quick makeshift measuring that the pictures are not only rendered most accuarately, but in some cases in better aspect ratios compared to the original sizes than many of the more expensive hardbacks. What a bargain!

I hope that the people at Bloomsbury Press continue to employ wise and opinionated writers who can tell us about their favorite cities and the personal secrets to be found in them. This first, by Edmund White, is a winner.

White takes us into HIS Paris, a city he has lived in for many, many years. As an American, the city will naturally feel different to him than it might to a native. White's writing is, as always, graceful and beautiful. His assessment of Colette, his desription of "nationalism" among the Jews of Paris, and, certainly, his thoughts on Homosexuality and specifically HIV in this city are important and fascinating. I also especially enjoyed the short appendix on "further reading."

It surprised me that a few of the other reviewers were taken aback that White would spend so much of his time on gay Parisian life. This has always been a subject for White...in his novels, his memoirs and in his non-fiction works. Hire Julia Child to write about Paris and we're bound to get a book filled with thoughts on food. By the way, a "flaneur," we are told, is a person who walks, strolls for the purpose of walking or strolling...not with any "ulterior" motive. RECOMMENDED

Edmund White has done it again. He has created the first (in what seems to be a series) guided tour of a great city which focuses on the idiosyncrases, particular flavor, befuddling history and ultimate addicting charm of Paris. This is as close as it gets to walking along side an established scholar and join him in the role of "Flaneur" - one who meanders without prejudice through the backways of a great city, just for the sake of observing and reflecting. There is more French (rather Parisian) history in this little tome than multivolume sets that mold on library shelves. But we find out only the things that interest White (he makes it all so poignant). Sections of the city and the book are devoted to the peculiar Parisian take on monarchism vs royalsim vs republicanism vs socialism. White cleverly introduces anecdotes that at first suggest neighborhood gossip but later are referenced to available writing that documents these strange truths. There is an entertaining history of African Americans in Paris, immigrants of all nationalities as they are today and were in history, a hilariously confused lineage of the royalty of France, and a frightening examination of why AIDS is so rampant in the city. White strolls, cruises, pauses, reflects, delights in the smells and times of day when the light is best in certain areas, and provides a staggering list of the countless museums devoted to every idea imaginable while castigating city design choices and current architecture meant to make the city logical.

The format of this book is very small which means it would fit into the back pocket of any tourist visiting the City of Light who longs for much more insight than pocket guides from tour companies can even suggest. White writes as well in books like this and his bios of Genet, Proust etc as he does in his inimitable novels. This is a little treasure of a book!

This book is as much about people who don't fit in as it is about Paris: african-american ex-patriates, jews, gays, poets and artists, Paris has given safe harbor over the decades to those who found drawing a breath elsewhere painful. Paris of course is not without its faults, its political and social incorrectness, but Edmund White describes the city in such a way that you can't help but want to retrace his steps and visit the lesser known streets and museums. Having been to Paris twice but not on nearly such familiar terms, I recommend this tome to the novice or expert francophile. Merci beaucoup pour ce livre, Msr White...

Beware of catchy titles. This book covers the topic in a very superficial way. There's really very little new information here that hasn't already been covered by other authors. The title is catchy, and the promotional material sounds enticing, but the book simply doesn't deliver very useful information. If you have already read other books and articles on this subject, you should save your money and and reading time by not purchasing this book. If you know nothing about this topic, then it's a place to start. However, don't expect any eye-popping solutions or revelations.

Pankau's book presents an overview on the subject of asset protection. It's not his mission to tell you every detail of how something is done. That's up to you to figure out. Overall it's a fun read and informative. The Offshore centers he discussed have changed over the years but the facts stand. You CAN protect your assets offshore IF you know how. It's not that difficult. Why so many readers seem to have it in for Mr. Pankau I can only guess. Perhaps it was his appearances on the Art Bell radio show or his confidence in himself as a private investigator. I don't know. But I do know his book is a decent introduction for those seeking answers. It will certainly start you thinking and doing some of your own investigation into the subject of asset protection. Read it and enjoy!

This book has a much broader range of appeal to the comman person than the title indicates. Everyone is affected by the privacy issues discussed in the book. The terms "hide" and "disappear" should'nt scare anyone off. Mr.Pankau lays out invaluable information in the context of someone "vanishing without a trace", but most of it relates directly to all of us. After reading his book I'm much more aware of the value of my privacy,and the steps to take to protect it in the future.The section on "the best places disappear to" is valuable to anyone thinking of retiring in a foreign country, regardless of "criminal" issues. Numerous countries and areas are rated for livability followed by recommendations and warnings.Mr Pankau's credentials are solid. He is highly respected internationally as an author(two bestsellers), speaker and most impressively, one of the top private investigators in the country. This is a man who has built a solid business and reputation. I trust the advice in this book because I have considered the source. Enough said.

This book tries to do too much: it wants to be a heart rate training book AND a book about training for sporting events. The book is only 200 pages...get the picture? The book provides cursory information on training for various sports: walking, running, cycling, in-line skating, and triathlon. Obviously, if you really wanted to learn how to train competitively for these sports, this ISN'T the book for you. If you're looking for a book that tells you how to create a workout you can do at a health club on a stair-climbing machine or elliptical trainer, etc....this is NOT the book for you. Sure, there's a chapter on "group" exercise (i.e. aerobic class), but it FAR from practical. The introductory chapters merely delineate the heart zones rather than offering suggestions for combining them meaningfully or providing progressive programs. The book simply tries to cover too much in order to increase its market.

Given some of the less-than-favourable reviews here I thought I was going to find an average, if not hum-drum book. I was very pleasantly surprised! This is a great book, very detailed with good descriptions of the Karvonon method of calculating HRR (Heart Rate Reserve) and its correlation to VO2 Max and Net VO2 and how to use this information to determine appropriate training zones. It had some good sections on various other fitness activities (such as cycling, swimming and walking) and serves as a good resource for anyone wanting to get fit faster while lowering your chances of injury or overtrainig.

I think if you combined this book with "Heart Rate Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot" you'd posses all the information you'd ever need to train to maximum effectiveness with your heart rate monitor.

I do inline skating, skiing, and weight training, but every time I tried to take up running, I would hit a wall. I just couldn't run for long sessions, and after a few I would hurt something and give up. Then I read about Ed Burke in Outside. This book, along with Burke's "Optimal Muscle Recovery" (I tore an Achilles tendon and developed plantar fascitis from skating and skiing) and "Stretching" finally got me to understand that I wasn't building the base I needed in order to run better. By following the training programs in this book, I've greatly increased my capacity without injury, and am slowly seeing my speed increase. Also liked this book because it took a different approach for each covered sport, and it treated inline skating with the respect it deserves as an endurance activity.

I must grant Edmund White with a wonderful writing style. He got us to know know and like the key characters in this book, Julien & Austin. The storyline lacked stories behind the stories. It seemed a little too blanketed/general. There was something missing. I enjoyed it and did read it to the end, getting some worthwhile lines out of the writer. The character who was dying of AIDS made me feel a bit depressed. I haven't read a lot of books along these lines but I know there are a lot of them on this subject matter. If any reader has already gone there (where a key character dies of AIDS) there's no point in re-visiting...just a warning.

Mr White has created a complex, if slightly mannered, world. Though the characters can be guarded and jaded, there is true love between them. What speaks volumes is the dedication of Austin and Julien to each other, their friends, family and past lovers. As in real life, people don't always treat each other nicely, but the caring shines through the hurt. In some places I wished for much less detail. In others I felt I missed whole chapters. In the end Mr White tells the story of a beautiful, complicated romance. Finally, I'd like to say that I try to avoid AIDS memoirs - as common now as coming out stories - but this novel rises above the feel-good "group of gay friends" genre.

"The Married Man" is Edmund White's finest. It's moving, lyrical (as his novels always are), passionate--and even has a plot (not to say I didn't enjoy his books that seemed to lack a plot). Never one to avoid or sugar-coat life's realities, in this novel White explores the challenges of a sero-discordant couple, the problems encountered when a former lover and a current one can't stand each other, and the issues that face couples of divergent ages, incomes, national origins, and native tongues. Anyone who's ever been in love knows that a romance is built on details, but White focuses on the details that matter: a nickname, a glance, how friends view the beloved, how anger or indifference or frustration affect the relationship. White's characters are never one-dimensional, but finely nuanced, alive and seared into memory.

In my opinion, no one writes place descriptions as vividly as White: One can almost imagine oneself at the café in Paris alongside his characters, listening to the haughty waiters spewing French, smelling the ubiquitous cigarette smoke, tasting the heavenly flavors of paté, a fine Sauternes, a delicate pastry. Winter in Providence never seemed so bleak or Key West so relentlessly sunny. And few writers can pack so much eroticism into one sentence (page 131 in case you want to check).

I was struck by the similarities between White's protagonist couple Austin and Julien and his own life with his former lover Hubert Sorin (as detailed in their co-authored book "Our Paris"). Both Julien and Hubert were French, similar in age, former architects, and each gave up his wife, his job, and his country to move to the States with his leading man. Austin's and Julien's trip to Morocco paralleled White's and Sorin's final trip; even their beloved basset hounds played a starring role (Ajax in "The Married Man"; Fred in real life). These similarities made the book even more moving as I realized how heartwrenching it must have been for White to relive so many memories.

This novel is by turns provocative, funny, maddening and heartbreaking. White delves deeper into human emotion and motivation than any writer I know of. What he reveals is not always pleasant or expected, but when you put down one of his novels--especially this one--you know you've been touched to the core.

... As an experienced private investigator with many years in the field and having survived the years of "growing" to become successful, I have to say that Mr. Pankau's book, together with his seminars, have been a great help. In our small PI community Mr. Pankau is an icon. He is in the top 5% of all private investigators in the world. This book was not written for someone who has been in the field for years and years but for the many new starters who hopefully can learn from the introductory texts Mr. Pankau has published. For the amateurs who love to watch Dan Tanner reruns and after reading a book on private investigation want to make it big in the profession, it is not a book to read. Gazza and some of the others may need to give it a little time to grow as investigators to understand the broad guidance that is actually represented in the book.

I have read Mr. Pankua's book, "How To Make A $100,000 A Year As A Private Investigator". I have found it to be an excellent resource of information on marketing, promoting, and operating an investigative agency. Mr. Pankua has been there and done it. He speaks from experience and I for one am grateful that he has chosen to share his wealth of knowledge and experience on this subject. I would highly recommend this book to anyone starting up or operating a private investigative business.

Very impressed with this book. Covers everything from marketing and business to investigations.

Mr. Pankau's advice in this book has helped me avoid making some very costly mistakes. I highly recommed this or any of his books.

I was an English major during my undergraduate college years. And long after the other more practical professional pursuits had occupied my time and interest, I still remembered one important piece of wisdom from those years. The two best dictionaries of the English language are the Oxford English Dictionary and the Webster's Third New International Unabridged.

For as much as two decades, I have owned the "Compact Edition" of the printed OED. And during that time, I passed into middle age, and my eyes followed. It becomes more and more of an inconvenience to pull the dictionary from its box, grab the magnifier and search for a word. I found myself reaching for the switch to a second reading light. That was one reason I purchased the CD-ROM version.

Wanting to have the resources from at least one of these available on my computer, and given the very reasonable price for the Webster's 3rd, I purchased both. In the case of the OED CDROM version, there are some drawbacks of which the prospective purchaser should inform himself/herself. The data CD is both encrypted and watermarked. This means that you cannot make a backup copy of the data CD. Those honest users of computer hardware and software may nevertheless wince at this obstacle. If one plans to keep the data CD in the drive at all times, one worries just how long the original data CD will last under constant use. I assume that OUP provides replacement disks in the event that the data disk becomes damaged, yet the worry persists, especially given the price of the software (at least $230 even with discounts and rebates).

The second irritation, related somewhat to the first, is that each time you wish to use the OED software, it must check the data disk and "verify" or "validate" it. This causes some delay in loading the software, and it occasionally fails, requiring the user to reiterate the verification sequence.

It is understandable that the publishers wish to "guarantee the integrity" of the CDROM and prevent duplication of a work which has always been costly to develop and maintain. The obstacle to copyright violation for the printed edition -- time, effort and the inconvenience of using photocopied pages of a dictionary -- is so enormous and impractical that it could not be a major worry to any publisher. But the potential for piracy in a CDROM version is great, the costs are not insurmountable to the potential copyright violator, and there would be no inconvenience to the user of duplicates. Therefore and again, the justification for encryption and watermarking of the data disk can be easily understood.

There are other shortcomings of the software. Despite the glitzy windows surfaces and nifty-looking pushbuttons, the authors did not enable the tab-key navigation from button to button, and one therefore needs to use the mouse in order to shift software focus from the text-entry (word-search) text-box to the "Search" button. Despite the sophisticated research tools built into the software, these are important considerations that determine whether or not a software package is "robust." I cannot, therefore, make that assertion about the OED -- it lacks "robustness" as a software application. One wonders how much better the program would work if the resources channeled toward encryption and watermarking of the disks were instead expended on software design.

Those who feel the need for a reliable and respected unabridged CDROM dictionary should take a closer look at the Webster's 3rd New International implementation for CD-ROM. The price is less than a fifth of that for the OED. There are just as many entries; there is the equivalent use of quotations from our literary tradition (American and English) to demonstrate the use of words; the software, though simpler and less ornate, has the robustness one would certainly expect for something as costly as a CDROM OED. Once installed, the Webster's user can remove the CD from the computer and store it away for the duration. The Webster's places its data files directly on the user's hard disk.

If literary research or some related need points you in the direction of the OED, just remember to keep current on OUP's contact information. You may need it. You may even need it if, upon delivery of the package, the mailman leaves it baking in the sun on your front doorstep.

For that, the OED gets a 3-star rating from me. Computer dictionary enthusiasts should take a serious look at Merriam-Webster Publishing's $60 3rd New International Unabridged.

Allow me to quote a previous reviewer: "But the bound version is so sensual, and beautiful, and while it takes a bit longer to find your word...it's the best overall version."
The OED is one of the greatest achievements in human literary history. I believe that while the CD-ROM and condensed versions of the work are useful, the sheer immensity of the work can only be truly captured by the 20 volumes (plus supplements) that make up the one truly authoritive lexicon of the English Language. Other languages also have excellent dictionaries (Japanese, for example) but I have seen none that compare to the overwhelming task accomplished by the Oxford English Dictionary Editors.
- J. Carlsen
Chicago, Illinois

As other reviewers have said so clearly, this dictionary is a treat for anybody who writes, reads, thinks or speaks English. Its monumental enough that I haven't even sounded its depths. So far I use it for the odd words that I come across in readings, occasionally my trusty Arden Shakespeare's don't have a definition that I need, and this is the only dictionary that covers everything. In several years of use I still don't use its best feature, the quotations. It's too much for me yet, I'm not ready to look for the shades of meaning in a word in the 16th century; the right idiom of another time. One day I'll be ready for that.

But the question for the prospective purchaser is, which version? First I bought the CDROM, luckily the OLD version of the software, which is wonderful. It's good enough, why did they have to change it to this new, horrid, fake web browser version? Please OUP, bring back the original OED Windows software for people. Anyhow, now I own the 20 volume set, but I don't own the 2 volume "eye strain" version, though I've spent time with it in libraries.

My advice is, if you can spend the three to four hundred dollars, get the CDROM instead of the 2 volume set. The new CDROM software sounds pretty bad, but at least with this you can actually read the text, and get the full search facility. I use it as my spell checker, the "*" regex style searching is wonderful. I know how a misspelled word begins and ends, and the OED does the rest. Its also fun sometimes to do searches based on author, or find words based on time, to see how words filtered out into writing.

Now, if you can spend more than that, the 20 volume set is the one to get. The computer version simply doesn't lend itself to browsing, or to lookup while your reading (its too jarring to go to a computer and look up a word while in the easy chair reading.) But the bound version is so sensual, and beautiful, and while it takes a bit longer to find your word (but not much longer, especially considering the unergonomic act of starting the computer, starting the software etc) it's the best overall version. The best thing is that you can easily take in the whole definition of a word. On the computerized version, it's too difficult to see the map of the senses. They do have an outline mode, but it doesn't work for me. Seeing it all written out on a big page makes it really easy to see all the different meanings of a word and how they relate.

So which should you buy? The ultimate (if it's important and you have money enough) get both the CDROM and the 20 volume bound set. Next best, the 20 volume version. After that, get the CDROM, and if you don't have a computer (but then how would you be reading this?) get the 2 volume set. If money is tight, most libraries have it in the reference section; at least go to your local branch and treat yourself to an hour of browsing the Dictionary.