The Pocket Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus

This is a very helpful tool for every designer in all kinds of brain storming sessions, where both the dictionary and thesaurus are used at the same time... Ideas simply flow and develop as both meaning, and synonym are revealed. Not to mention that it's compact, however, very rich in content. Simply, wish there were more such books.

Bought as a gift for my son. He said this is the most helpful book, for his class work, that I have sent him in last two years.

I bought this dictionary/thesaurus a few years ago for college, and have used it well. While it won't fit in your pocket, it will fit in your book bag, and I was more than happy to sacrifice the extra weight for a few more definitions and synonyms. And, while this is much more detailed dictionary than any other "pocket" dictionary I have come across (which typically fit in your pocket), it is certainly not THE definitive dictionary you'll want to own. I have come across a few words in my studies that have not been listed in this dictionary, and that I had to find at home (in a behemoth edition that fits on a CD-ROM). All in all, a great buy--best portable dictionary you will find. (Weight: 970 grams; 2 lbs, 2 1/2 oz. For those of you planning on taking it hiking.)

I would like to say that this book is excellent for students with hard courses in high school. It's a pretty good size to fit in your backpack although I wouldn't call it pocket size, I would call it backpack size :). They also have a special reference section where they give you basic information such as country/capital, states, metric conversion, etc... All in all a very excellent purchase that would benifit your education.

American, not British English! Too large to fit in my pocket, this is a superior inexpensive reference book. The dictionary is excellent for a book of this size. The thesaurus is clearly more limited than a dedicated tome, but the list of synonyms is useful. The guide to pronounciation is as good as any, though I feel this is one area where CD-ROM computerized dictionaries have the advantage. There is also a brief "Special Reference Section" containing signs and symbols, easily confused words (e.g affect/effect), terms for groups of animals, et al., but includes other items I found less appropriate to a dictionary such as metric/US weights, measures, and temperatures, multiplication tables - redundant in the age of calculators, presidents/states of the US, etc.