Reviews for Ultimate visual dictionary.
Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
While librarians should always be wary of titles bearing hyperboles, this is the ultimate visual dictionary produced by its publisher, which by extension makes it one of the best on the market. Many of Dorling Kindersley's pictorial reference works are cataloged for children's collections, but this tour de force deserves a place in all departments. With 14 sections, 270 major entries, and 30,000 terms, it is a vital addition to the field of visual dictionaries. Most important, every page glows in stunning color-a particularly useful feature in the sections on the human body and the universe. The illustrations are a combination of photographs and drawings. A 45-page, six-column index assures that any term in the book will quickly be found. Occasionally, as in the section on architecture, the feature illustrated is too small to be seen in detail or a pointer line is lost when crossing a dark area, but these problems are rare. There are also a few factual errors, which one hopes will be corrected in future editions. Of its competitors, The Facts on File Visual Dictionary (LJ 12/86) and What's What: A Visual Glossary of the Physical World (LJ 5/15/94) are both in black and white, and the Macmillan Visual Dictionary (available in a multilingual edition, LJ 3/1/93) consists mostly of drawings. This Ultimate Visual Dictionary is not the only pictorial dictionary to own, but it is by far the most visually impressive, and it comes at a good price. Enthusiastically recommended for all libraries.-James Moffet, Baldwin P.L., Birmingham, Mich. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Choice
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Picture dictionaries work on the principle that if one knows what an object looks like or how it is used, one can learn what it is called. If this latest picture dictionary does not quite live up to the "ultimate" part of its title, it is nevertheless an impressive work. It contains more than 30,000 terms in 270 major entries, each with a brief (150-200) word essay. The entries are grouped into 14 general sections--each with its own table of contents--covering the physical and biological sciences, transportation, art and music, sports, and "everyday things." Only this last section disappoints, because it is too short. As usual with Kindersley titles, the full-color photographs and illustrations are excellent: there are more than 6,000 of them, most showing cutaway and exploded views. Although this book is not quite as extensive in coverage as either Jean-Claude Corbeil's The Facts on File Visual Dictionary (CH, Nov'86) or especially The Oxford-Duden Pictorial English Dictionary, ed. by John Pheby et al. (CH, Dec'81), the essays make it more useful than either in placing unfamiliar items in their proper context. Although not marketed specifically as a children's book, this work would be welcome in libraries catering to young readers as well as in general, undergraduate, and two-year technical collections. L. P. Beene; St. Mary's University
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
YA-A beautiful dictionary that uses more than 6,000 full-color photographs, illustrations, and cross sections to explore most aspects of the natural world: the universe, prehistoric Earth, architecture, and much more. Arranged by subject but indexed in great detail, this volume will be especially helpful in schools supporting large ESL populations. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
