The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-03-05
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
Funk & Wagnalls' Standard Dietion-
airy of the English LANGUAGE.

aIy Va IL AAASAASAA AauSudSCs
The lo~ng-lookad for work, "a Standard
Dictionary of the English Language" pub
lished by Funk & Wagnalls of Nos. IS and
20 Aston place, New York, has at last made
its appearance. For the past four years
nearly 200 editors, selected from the front
ranks of American and English scholars,
under the direction of I. K. Funk, D. D.,
editor-in-chief, have been engaged on this
dictionary. Each is representative of all
that is latest and most approved in his own
field of exploration and research, and each
is an accepted authority in his sphere. Mon
cure D.. Conway says it can hardly be con-
ceived that any advantage in dictionary
making could have been overlooked by such
an admirable staff of editors.
In this work, which aims to combine the
utmost scholarly precision with convenience
for popular reference, there are eight heads
under which its value may be considered.
These are completeness, arrangement, defini-
tions, spelling, pronunciation, etymology,
typographical features and appendices. In
scarcely one of these divisions does the
STANDARD Dictionary" fail to record a dis
tinct advance.
No expense or effort seems to have
been spared to make the dictionary as com
plete and as authoritative as possible.
The vocabulary is extraordinarily rich and
full, thousands of words being admitted for
the first time in a general dictionary. The
editors were selected from the front rank
of American and English scholars. In
deed, it may be said that the dictionary is
the work of men thoroughly equipped in the
schools of science, literature and art, and of
experts in various handicraftS and trades.
The plan and workmanship will commend
themselves to every mt i'll need of a good,
comprehensive and reliable dictionary that
is abreast of modern scholarship. The typog-
raphy is excellent, and the general get-up of
the work leaves nothing to be desired. The
dictionary is destined to hold a pre-eminent
place for many years to come.
The Dictionary is exceedingly rich in illus
trations, both in text, woodcuts and page
and double page plates. Thus, "gallop" is
illustrated by a page of instantaneous pho
tographs, showing the regular progressive
movements Of the horse; and the text has a
short series, illustrating the movements of a
galloping dog. "Coin' is illustrated by a
page of remarkable ancient coins; ''decora-
tions' with double page of colored stars,
crosses and ribbons; and "gem" with a page
of colored gems and precious stones. The
marbled edge of the dictionary is notched
and lettered ledger fashion. for the conven-
fence of users.
The Standard is more complete in number
of words than any previous dictionary,
containing nearly 5000 0 in all, and its ex-
cellent arrangement will enable it, in the
words of Professor Goodell of Yale to
s'meet ones daily needs better than any
other single volume dictionary in existence"
This simplicity is gained largely by the
placing of the definition first, then follow
Illustrations of usage, then etymology, COM
pounds, synonyms, antonyms and miscel-
~ianeous matter. After all, what one wants
most is a definition; ease in finding that adds
greatly to the value of a dictionary. The
vast majority of readers are not hunting
primarily for etymologies, variants or Sec
ondary meanings of q word. In comprehen-
siveness the Standard amply meets the usual
requirements. 1t is complete as to the num-
Der of words, n yet is not overbur-
dened by rare, or obsolete terms or by the
hasty introduction of words whose value is
doubtful, as, for instance, slang, new literary
words coined by the caprice, or mistaken no
ton of some second-rate author and dialectic
FORMS. Omit no word found in any living
book-such has been the rule followed sue
cessfully by the editors. Careful discrimina-
ton is needed in compiling a vocabulary. As
Mr.. Lowell Says:-''A dictionary is not a
drag-net to bring up for us the broken pots
and dead kittens, the sewerage of speech, as
well as its living fishes" In comprehensive
ness of matter the Standard does not aim to
supersede such dictionaries as the Century or
Murray's great works. But while the danger
of putting in too much has been borne in
mind, great care has been exercised not to
omit necessary matter, either chronological
or explanatory.
It will prove to be of especial value to the
ordinary reader or business man, to the man
who turns to a dictionary to learn either how
a word is spelled, how it is pronounced, or
the sense in which it is used by writers and
speakers of the present day.
In the definitions, special pains have been
taken to make the work as thorough as pos
sible by presenting recent meanings and dis
tinctions, by giving a definite clue to the
great departments and divisions of knowl-
edge, and by making the general definitions
comprehensive and exhaustive. Each set of
words has been defined or passed upon by q
representative of the science or art. or of the
handicraft, party or class, or religious de-
nomination, to which the terms respectively
belong. The editors nave been guided
by the general thought The peo-
pie to whom a term more especially
belongs should lave the right to say
what they mean when they use that term.
But if the term is used by others, in a hostile
or different sense, this meaning is also given,
as '~'absolution," 'sindulgence, as used ~ the
Roman Catholics, ''Danite," "Mormonism, y
as used by Latter-Day Saints, PROTESTANT
ism, y Socialism, but in each case the def
milton is SO marked that the inquirer may
know which party it is that SO uses the term.
In this way no injustice is done to any party
or class. and it is possible to be much more
exact in definition.
It is altogether a most complete and
valuable work, and has simplifed great
ly the plan of most previously published die
tionaries.
The Standard Dictionary is sold only by
subscription n is published in one and two
volumes. Tn one volume edition is sold at
from $12 to $lS, and the two volume edition
at from $40 to So, per set, according to bind
ing.