Collins Dictionary for Writers and Editors

Martin Manser's Collins Dictionary for Writers & Editors is a great little reference book as it goes straight to the more problematic issues concerning spelling, usage, and grammar, such as the spelling of compound words and the use of punctuation marks in written English. This especially applies to the use of hyphens within compound words which varies considerably from country to country and house style to house style. In fact, the Dictionary provides a practical and accessible standard in the use of hyphens in spelling compound words for all occupational and other frequent or long-distance writers of English. More generally, the Dictionary has clear, concise entries on practically all the more commonly confused and confusing points of contemporary written English. Another good point is that the book's text is not in that fine, almost microscopic, print which is so beloved of so many publishers of mass-market reference books these days, so old codgers like me can read the Dictionary's text without straining their eyes or resorting to a magnifying glass or splurging on bifocals. All in all, the Collins Dictionary for Writers & Editors is a very practical reference with a good range and comprehensive coverage of its subject. I use this book as a standard reference now, and it works so marvellously well that I always keep it within easy referring distance when writing, which it makes that much easier.