Reviews

Gr 7 Up-When the Oxford University Press produced the expanded second edition of its Spanish dictionary in 2001, it was broadened to include 275,000 words and phrases and contained 450,000 translations. The hefty tome covered both European and Mexican Spanish. This edition expands the second by 25,000 words (about half on each side of the dictionary) and 50,000 translations. To catch contemporary words and usages, a combination of Web-based technology and vetting by native speakers was employed, resulting in the addition of technological and business vocabulary, as well as slang and buzz words. Covering all 24 varieties of regional Spanish, the dictionary also sports a new layout, with words in blue and definitions in a clean, though small, black type. Cultural notes as well as boxes containing information on grammar and usage-such as phrasal verb forms-extend the coverage of the work. Clear definitions, both in English and in Spanish, are backed up by a text-to-speech CD-ROM that allows users to hear any word or phrase pronounced in either European or Mexican Spanish. Collections with the second edition of the Oxford or with other unabridged dictionaries such as the Collins Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictionary (HarperCollins, 1997) may not need to add the third Oxford. However, given the comprehensive coverage, it is worth consideration for most libraries.-Ann Welton, Grant Elementary School, Tacoma, WA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.