The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-31
NfH BOOKS
m, New -, ndard Dic,icnar,

he WV ~A~busf" hSsV's'b3ss
...ro, a dictionary is in its practical
,,..., and lat tnst applied for a dozen
,o..s IA, shown the great worth of the
lo,..N..H Dictionary Of tie English Ian
....s go iru now comes To us in a new.
rs,I-rl au. cular Eed edition in two volumes
IF m, & Naenalls Company. No land
rors. ,,- the dictionary 70 devoutly "A does
rho United states, and nowhere IL that
e.,.,.aI.o book in such general use. The
d.,Iura,y saws So isthe sacrosanct formula
,.,r-crt rs all disputes. from a matrimonial
soIabl 10 20 a solemn bet There IL no
o,uc3l AZ most a delay while the authority
q, ore dictionary is held up against that Of
ar.t o.. In tie old days the followers of
Worcester and of Webster were in hostile
canrs, ike Capulets and Montagues.
We lave no intent ion of stating which
dictionary is the best: we should as soon
,tirE nj deciding whether Homer or Shakes
reare or Dante or Goethe Is the greatest
noe, We are thankful that we have so
many good ones and that each has merits
of is own that answer the needs of varied
minds Tie Standard has proved extremely
use'll and always trustworthy The in
dI,idual popularity OF the Standard that
ras led us to it most frequently is, perhaps.
wat may be called the surplusage Of its
definitions These are clear and adequate;
but at the definition most dictionaries are
content to stop, while the Standard adds
bits Of encvcloy edic information in an ex-
trenelv convenient form. and tries to throw
leht on meanings arising out Of the original
word To take short example, after the
definitions of settlement we find con.
densed explanations OF family" and Of
marriage" settlements and Of the British
Act OF Settlement" Equally helpful are
tn long lists and tables supplied under
mfnv words, like the five column table Of
colors under spectrum, or the long list
Of Indian tribes under American" There
are countless illusions, technical phrases
and other time devouring will-o' -thewisps
that tie Standard explains in a minute,
Another great merit of the Standard
a. book of reference is the generous hos
titaity it has given to words Of all kinds
that are in actual use. That may be rep
rehensible from the standpoint Of purity,
for the multitude still believes that every
thing found in the dictionary is fit for uni
versal use; but from the standpoint Of
utility. Of help given when it is needed. it
cannot be too highly praised We are told
that there are over 300 900 words in the first
edition OF the standard: II 900 more have
been added in the new edition, among these
new scientific terms, words brought in by
new sports and occupations, such as auto
mohilism and ballooning, and words made
familiar by the late wars in South Africa
AID the Philippines and China. Mr.. Kip
liug's Oriental dialect had been captured in
the first edition. The same hospitality not
~ well applied mars the pages with the
spelling of the future of scientific enthu =
sasts. the 1thro' of the philologists, and
the -suliur' of the chemist by the side
Of the spelling still commonly accepted.
Sore Of the new words look queer in Eng
Ash, like "gesundheit," when you sneeze.
but perhaps that is as much English as
-bolo-or some of the Scottish dialect words
The changes in the supplementary parts
OF the dictionary have been many. New
names and new information have been in
corporated in the list Of proper names,
and the cyclop dia-gazetteer has been
wholly rewritten; it contains the latest CEN
SIS figures. The atlas is not what it should
be. When 50 much originality and in
gennity have been howninthe planning and
In the typographical problems of book
50 expensive, it seems pity that the models
OF the German cycloI % las and aliases
should not have been preferred to the rail-
road maps and chromos that satisfy our
best publishers. Not dictionary or q
cyclor@1ia published in America 80 far
offers maps that can be compared in clear
ness or mechanical execution with any
twenty -tive-cent German guide-book.
The original standard Dictionary" made
q place of its own for itself at once. Nc
other dictionary was like 1t and it was
needed very much. The new edition is 6
great improvement on the first, and there
fore still more useful
Tho n10bt Hon Tneenh (ha NH 10 81