From Library Journal
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
The words in NOAD are taken from the 200-million-word databank of the North American Reading Program of Oxford University Press and the files of the Oxford English Dictionary. The entries are structured around "core" senses. Core is defined as "the one that represents the most literal use that the word has in ordinary modern American usage," which may not necessarily be the oldest or most frequent use. Core senses appear first in each definition, with related subsenses grouped under the core. For example, label is defined first as "a small piece of paper, fabric, plastic, or similar material attached to an object and giving information about it," with various other meanings (e.g., "the name or trademark of a fashion company"; "a classifying phrase or thing applied to a person or thing") listed as subsenses.
The definitions are clear and descriptive but still provide technical information when necessary. Some words are used in a sentence to illustrate meaning, although NOAD does not use quotations as the American Heritage Dictionary does. Pronunciation is given, but the pronunciation key is found only in the introduction. Following the tradition of the OED, many entries include word origins. Labels ("dated," "humorous," "offensive," "vulgar slang," etc.) indicate in what context a word should be used. As is now common in dictionaries, there are 5,000 place-names (Dan River, Eiffel Tower), 4,000 biographical entries (Lenin, Vladimir and Lennon, John, both with black-and-white photographs), and 3,000 proper names (Blue Law State, Organization of American States). There are line drawings of some items (dumbbell, gazebo) and simple maps of countries. Also included are highlighted boxes of usage (Hispanic, mental) and some encyclopedic information, usually a paragraph in length (Bronze Age, Paraguay). Current terms include cybersex (but not cybercafe), dot-com, downsize, HTML, and SUV. A ready-reference section at the end of the volume has an odd assortment of items--usage and punctuation guides, the Constitution, weights and measures, heat index and windchill temperatures, selected proverbs, and members of the Baseball, Basketball, Pro Football, and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame.
This dictionary shouldn't be confused with other dictionaries that Oxford has published recently--The Oxford American Desk Dictionary (1998), The Oxford American Dictionary of Current English (1999), The Oxford American Dictionary and Language Guide (1999), or The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style (2000). To choose between NOAD and the fourth edition of the American Heritage Dictionary is difficult. The American Heritage Dictionary is aesthetically more pleasing, with color photos and maps in the margin. But NOAD, with the OED database behind it, provides a well-researched and current source of definitions of U.S. English and is $10 cheaper. For all high-school, academic, and public libraries. RBB
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