Elliott Books

Cartier Bresson is one of my two favorite photographers (Minor White is the other). This small book of his prints is a wonderful thing to have in my house, and to share with my friends.

It's a great collection of classic work of HCB. Surprisely, some the pictures are named "untitled" in HCB's Paris book, but they have title name along with some descriptions. Good intro to HCB!

A lovely little book showing the most famous pictures of Henri Cartier-Bresson on 95 pages only. A must-have for the Cartier-Bresson fans or a great first book to have on this fabulous photographer.

If Cartier-Bresson did not invent the art of 35mm street photography, he certainly brought it to the attention of other serious photographers and the public. Trained as a painter, his eye for composition was unerring, but it was his instinct for the defining human gesture--that he termed "the decisive moment"--that made him one of the immortals of photographic history. As one of the founding members of Magnum, he changed the way we think of photographs and the way we see the world. This book is an introduction to his work. As such, it's all too short, but the economical format make it possible to see a few decent examples of his work and perhaps to inspire further study. He was a true master of the art.

This collection is a nice, compact, and inexpensive sample of Cartier-Bresson's photographs. I would have prefered the book to be a little larger to allow for bigger pictures. The print quality is decent. I was disappointed that my favorite photograph by him, the one of the bicyclist going by the staircase entitled "Hyères, France", was absent.

Into Hot Air, Chris Elliott's second "novel" is another dead-on parody of an adventure epic, packed with Elliott's unique brand of humor. The narrative is wildly inventive, the dialogue is cleaver, and Chris (as himself, the leading character) is at his irreverent best. This book is dense with humor, and you just smile and smile as you read. Let's hope he's working on another!

I loved Chris Elliot in Get a Life. I didn't know he was also a talented and creative writer. This novel is just plain funny. Elliott takes a serious, introspective topic - ascending Mount Everest - and turns it into a laugh riot. The story, despite its outlandish plot, flows well. Every page made me laugh on some level of the laugh scale - from guffaw, to chortle, to laugh out loud. Elliott takes us from the genesis of his journey, when he discovers his great-uncle Percy'd diary, who presumably summitted Mouny Everest, through his gathering of a team to climb with him - including a mix of celebrities, each with their own particular role to play on the climb, especially as foils to each other, to the inevitable hazards encountered on the ascent, including some outrageous episodes that could only have been conceived by Elliot's mind. If you read the book now (March of 2008) there is an eerie sense of prophecy in some of the events that unfold. I don't want to give it away, but if you are keeping up with news about Tibet (where Mount Everest is located) you'll know what I mean. If you want to laugh consistently while reading a humor book, pick up (and read) Into Hot Air.

the book is good. there was almost no instances that i was not laughing out loud while reading the shroud of the thwacker. this one not so much, but the story itself was pretty engaging. so just good. i hope he does a few more as funny as shroud of the thwacker. also more movies and a talk show. and another sitcom. okay, that's all.

I hope Chris Elliott keeps pursuing fiction. Now that Mark Leyner seems to be making piles of money with popular medical books, Elliott seems to be leading the pack in works that satirize the idea of narrative and place the author at the center of the action.

In this book, Elliott organizes a group of celebrities in climbing Mount Everest, during which they encounter the most ridiculous of narrative plot points, from a quest for a "rhombus" to monster crabs. Ellott, as in "The Shroud of the Thwacker," puts himself front-and-center in the narrative, using the clueless, egotistical jerk persona he's adopted in his comedy, from "Late Night" sketches to his "FDR" spoof to "Get a Life" (in effect, he's borrowed his own character, which is pomo to the max). Underlying the narrative are references to, in the case of "Shroud," time-travel fiction (the great "Time and Again" in particular) and in "Hot Air" the rather obscure episode in which James Stewart thought he had found a Yeti bone. These references demonstrate Elliott's basic intelligence in building his satires.

But what I like most about "Hot Air," even if the humor is sometimes hit-and-miss, is the fact that Elliott takes a conceit and builds a metanarrative that keeps commenting on itself in a fairly sophisticated (at least for me) way. Toward the end, he even admits that he made some stuff up, then attempts to undo his statement to accommodate another plot point. The book uses a slew of post-modern "borrowings," from the familiar actors on the expedition (the actress whose first name is Lauren should be particularly flattered) to the CIA- and Dalai Lama-fueled plot twists at the end. Futhermore, Elliott pulls it all off with a dynamic prose style. I'd like to see him apply his talents to a "memoir."

At once a novel and a parody, INTO HOT AIR mocks epic literary adventure stories and comes from an award-winning comedian who presents the story of a great-uncle's journey and an anonymous package which indicates he might have been the first to climb Everest. High humor and tongue-in-cheek discovery will delight any who regularly read adventure nonfiction, particularly mountain-climbing books, making this an excellent general-interest collection recommendation.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Killer in the Rain is a very thrilling and interesting detective story. It was one of the best stories I have ever read! It is quite easy to read.
The story is about a detective who has to supervise a woman by meeting another man. Then a mysterious murder happens in the house where the woman is staying. From the first to last page you have to guess who the murderer is. The book is not boring because it is not very long. There aren't a lot of people in the story, so it is easy to understand the plot. I liked this book very much and I can recommand it to fans of detective stories.

The `Introduction' by Philip Durham explains why these 8 short stories were suppressed during Raymond Chandler's lifetime: they were "cannibalized" to become part of his novels. Changes were also made to the characters, and passages were expanded with more details. Chandler worked for years as a Hollywood scriptwriter to polish dialogue for films. He had the talent to this. Before becoming a writer Chandler was an oil executive and learned about the wealthy whose lives figure in his stories. The many drinking scenes in these stories raise the question of product placement.

"Killer in the Rain" tells about the spoiled daughter of a newly rich oil millionaire. Carmen has been paying off a "rare book" dealer who has her nude photos. The interpersonal conflict results in dead bodies. Chandler studied the classics. This story could be compared to some opera or a Shakespearean tragedy. ["The Big Sleep" is an expanded version of this story.]
"The Man Who Liked Dogs" has investigator Carmady searching for a missing dog. The young woman who owned him left home and is also missing. There is plenty of action and dead bodies to thrill the readers. ["Farewell, My Lovely" used parts of this story.]
"The Curtain" begins when an old friend tells Carmady what he knows about the missing Dud O'Mara. Soon after this old friend leaves there is a flurry of shots. Now Carmady has the news that killed his pal. He is threatened by the two who killed his pal, but turns the tables. Does the apple fall far from the tree? [This story was part of "The Big Sleep".] The shooting of Larry Batzel seems implausible except for drama.
"Try the Girl" tells of a huge man who was just released from prison and is looking for his old girlfriend. Carmady tries to find Beulah the singer. The ending to this story differs from "Farewell, My Lovely". [If Beulah was so in love why didn't she keep in touch?]

"Mandarin's Jade"has John Dalmas working for a man who will buy back a very expensive jade necklace. But the deal doesn't work as planned, Dalmas is sapped and Lindley Paul is murdered. Dalmas follows a lead, and there is another dead body. Next he meets the woman who lost the necklace, and a view into the lives of the rich and famous. A visit to a cheap bar produces more dead bodies. There is a shocking surprise ending to this story. [Castellamare was where Thelma Todd lived and died.]
"Bay City Blues" starts with the carbon monoxide poisoning of a blonde wife of a doctor to the stars. Harry Matson, the watchman who found the body was run out of town, and he is scared. Matson contacts Johnny Dalmas. There is another dead body and threats to Dalmas. There is a shocking surprise at the end when the murders are solved.
"The Lady in the Lake" begins with a missing person case. The husband mentions the name of a man. Dalmas soon finds him dead, freshly killed. When Dalmas visits the lake cabin where Julia Watson was staying he finds a lady in the lake, a few days old. Dalmas continues his investigation and uncovers the secrets behind the murders, and the missing wife.
"No Crime in the Mountains" starts when John Evans receives a letter hiring him on a confidential matter. But Fred Lacey can tell no tales. More dead bodies turn up. There is a question about $500 in a shoe. Could foreign agents be active in a resort area? [The ending seems pretty weak and implausible.]

I'm surprised by the claim of one reviewer that "...Raymond Chandler did not allow this particular group of stories to be republished after their initial appearances in pulp magazines of the thirties."

"Killer in the Rain" has been available off-and-on from Ballantine Books since 1972. My copy, the fifth printing, is dated 1980, and has the same Philip Durham introduction. A search on ABE shows 235 used copies available, including hardcover editions dating back to the 1960s.

That said, the availability of this reprint is great news. Read these stories. Read Chandler's novels. And read the works of the earlier master, Hammett.

The Other Stories are The Curtain, Goldfish, and The Finger Man.

What the description fails to mention is that Raymond Chandler did not allow this particular group of stories to be republished after their initial appearances in pulp magazines of the thirties.
The reason? These were the eight stories that Chandler cannibalized to form the substance and sub-plots of:
The Black Sleep [taken from "The Curtain" and "Killer In The Rain"],
Farewell My Lovely [using "The Man Who Liked Dogs", "Try The Girl" and "Mandarin's Jade"], and
The Lady In The Lake [assembled with "Bay City Blues", "Lady In The Lake", and "No Crime In The Mountains"],
the first, second and fourth, respectively, of his seven novels featuring the archetypal noir detective Philip Marlowe. (The High Window, The Little Sister and its follow-up The Long Goodbye were all wholly originated as novels, while Playback was rewritten from an unused treatment that did not originally have Marlowe as a character)
Several years after Chandler's death in 1959, Ballantine Books, which in the '60s and '70s had the licensing rights to Chandler's work, went ahead and published these as a group in the book we have here, Killer In The Rain.

Unfortunately, no publisher since has put these eight stories out again - neither Vintage, which publishes all seven novels as well as the contents of the three Ballantine collections of pre-novel short stories (The Simple Art Of Murder, Pick-Up On Noon Street, and Trouble Is My Business); even the two volume collected works published in handsome hardcover form by Library Of America, virtually complete in every other aspect, omits these stories, which leads one to wonder if the Chandler estate - such as it is - has reinstated Chandler's ban on the public having access to these stories - until such time as they truly become public domain.
With the trend towards longer copyright life -designed soley to keep uncreative marketing/publishing people making an easy living off work which, after the creator's death, should belong to the freely accesible world culture domain, instead of putting more effort into marketing the works of the living creators who most deserve the remuneration whilst still alive - many of us may not actually still be here when they can be published by anyone without restriction. So grab a copy of these original masterpieces while there are dealers still with copies!~ MannyLunch

Having Sonny Elliott so beautifully describe his abusive childhood and how he emerged a stronger person and parent should be required reading for every parent. His insights and recommnedations are appropriate for families of all sizes and ages. The book is easy to read and filled with many suggestions that make perfect sense.

As he reveals in this exceptionally creative book, Sonny Elliott has had to navigate himself through some tough family times. What he has learned - and the discoveries he has made - are remarkable. This easy to read paperback is an astounding contribution and obvious lifetime commitment to the betterment of the family unit. Every parent would do well by taking this information to heart...and also to the family. The humanity, insight, and sensitivity Elliott brings to his topic translate to practical and immediately useful ideas. Curiously (and refreshingly), he points to children as the much overlooked key to creating and maintaining the strong family unity. Elliott delivers unique ways of communicating with our children which in themselves are worth far more than the investment in his book. The big bonus, though, is the structure Elliott provides for loving and supportive family meetings. Finally, here is a simple way for children and parents to safely communicate with and deepen their love for each other. In today's world, with kids going haywire seemingly at random, here is an author whose message is unquestionably a major part of the solution.

I was looking for answers to deal with some problems I was having with my teenager kids, when a friend of mine recommended that I read this book. I borrowed it and read it and what a dissapointment it was! Mr. Elliot seems to have very good intentions, but the book reminded me of the old salesman at the top of the wagon selling remedy that "cured everything" to people who knew very little and were very desperate. This book fails to present a straight line of thought, it is convoluted, it points out only minor aspects of the family life today and, above all, it has a lot of useless pages (for example, the entire chapter about Mr. Elliot not making the basketball team! ) If the point is that not making the team puts the kid in need of support, he just could have said so in three lines. I also fail to see any piece of modern psychologic theory. I don't know where Mr. Elliot got his psychology degree and/or knowledge but he sure does not show it in his book. Also, as Mr. Elliot admits, he has been divorced and has neglected his kids for quite a while; then, how come, out of the sudden, is he the ultimate expert in family relationships? How can I even trust his advice? Like I said before, it seems like we have another "doctor" at the top of the wagon selling "miracle remedy." All for the money, or their egos. I am glad I just borrowed the book and did not buy it.

Sonny Elliott keenly demonstrates the importance of communication and how a person's feelings can alter his or her ability to listen and understand what someone else is saying or doing, especially in the family environment. His ability to weave the story of his own life and his determination to break the cycle and make a difference in his life and the life of his children is inspiring. I applaud his commitment to share these tools with the public. I have used Sonny Elliott's guidelines to enrich my relationships with my three grown step-children, my husband, and my siblings. There is established trust in our relationships which allows for open expression of our feelings. This is a must read for anyone who wants to nurture relationships in their lives!

Small book makes a big difference.

After reading this book you are left with more than just feelings or some good ideas, you are left with a practical step by step tool for building relationships within your family.

We just followed the recipe for the family meeting at the back and opened up completely new possibilities. It is critical to us that as our children grow up we can be their trusted best friends instead of the outsiders who don't understand!

It was a quick read, I enjoyed the well known authors, but didn't much care for the unknown ones. Felt like this book was published late, if it was closer to 911 I would have cared more.

Wish I had something to say about a flaw in this book but I can't think of any. I never wrote one of these letters so bare with me.

OK.

Stephen Elliott, the kind of teacher one could only dream about if taking any kind of writing course, has got to be the quintessentail California cool guy and arbiter of great "new millinieum" taste to put together a collection like this. It is bar none, the best fiction anthology I have EVER read. OK, I'm only 31, but I do read a lot of anthologies. This one is original, fast paced, original and every single story I read pulled me in and kept me interested til the end.

Off the bat, I can think of Charles Baxter's "Innocent" and "da bomb" and Brian Gage's Vampire story as being the best ones. There is another one too about this guy that killed his whole family in an Arab country and got celebrated for it. Those ones blew me away. This dude F.S. Yu came pretty hard too, although I was at a party recently and someone whispered in my Orson loving ear that F.S. Yu has a seceret identity. Great story, though. But like I was saying I couldn't get enough of this book. Let me get it.

O.K. got it. I liked everything in here. Ann Urso's story was like a little movie skit, really funny. JOan Wilking pissed me off, but hey, that's what a good story does. Peter Rock rocked. David Rees had me laugh'n but not with some serious thoughts. That's what I like aobut this book, they cut out all the b.s. and just let it roll. The story I read when I want a good laugh over and over again is by Mistress Morgana. She tells you how her day went as a dominitrix and if you go to her web page in real life she's a hot woman, so that made me totally believe her story. A pleasant surprise was to see L.A.'s own Ethiopian fatwa writer Kola Boof in the lineup after listening to her radio appearances last year on KPFK Radio and ABC NEWSRADIO. She wrote a tight story about this black girl singer whose boyfriend was cheating on her and got blown up in the WTC. The cracks on President Bush and Clinton are priceless too. I still don't know what the story was about, but out of the women's stories, hers was the best.

This is a cool book. It's spacey and it expects you to expect the unexpected. As a writing student and over all HAM I hope to someday have my name posted in lights with a group as talented and imagination as the old gang here. Top drawer politics. Sexy. Smart. I give it two thumbs up.

Peace

This book was a pleasent surprise. I couldn't put it down. Some real gems in here as far as short stories go. Check out the stories by Anne Ursu, David Rees, Nasri Hajjaj, and Brian Gage. I don't think there was one story I didn't like, but those authors were my favoirtes. Even the unknown authors wrote fantastic stories. Special mention: Anthony Swofford - a very provocative and funny story.

Can art be relevant in the post 9/11 era? Can any fiction do justice to these fictional times? Apparently, yes. Michelle Tea captures the surreal emptiness of 9/11 mindless jingoism chillingly. Amanda Eyre Ward carefully portrays the overwhelming power of fear. Otis Haschemeyer writes a chilling story of the Iraq war that none of the imbedded journalists would ever tell. Charles Baxter dissects American culture all too well. And,for comic relief, Mistress Morgana gives a few public figures a much needed spanking.

Even better, this manages to be a great read (I read the whole thing in one night) with well-crafted stories that are better than any Best Of anthology I've seen.

This is art for the times, as someone said below. We need this.

Writers have been particularly inspired since the events of September 11, 2001, to redefine our sense of vulnerability as Americans. The devastation visited upon us has left irrevocable scars, and it is the artists who give voice to our pain and disillusionment. Many new works have sprung from these endeavors, among them Politically Inspired: Fiction for Our Time, a compilation of short stories, cartoons and illustrations that cover a wide range of responses since that infamous day in our history.

The selections chosen are not meant to address the event specifically, but rather some of the issues that have come from the creative minds of the contributors. Editor Stephen Elliott has gathered the perfect mix: stories, illustrations, cartoons and poetry, albeit often tongue-in-cheek. Politically Inspired gives voice to some of the most imaginative writers today.
I haven't been a great fan of short stories, preferring longer works, except when the occasional book stands out and begs recognition. This compilation is such an entertaining and seamless collection that I find myself unwilling to reach the end; I have been well entertained and challenged by these authors, privileged to read their contributions about the changing face of American life.

From the first story by Anne Ursu, "The President's New Clothes", to Brian Gage's "The Vampires of Draconian Hill", I have experienced a gamut of emotions. Politically Inspired is successful, in my view, because of the innovative approaches of the authors and the wide range of characters in the selections. Not only do I recommend this volume of cutting-edge fiction, but suggest Politically Inspired: Fiction for Our Time as a thoughtful gift for anyone who enjoys exceptional work, written with the best of intentions. Luan Gaines/ 2003.

I read few chess books but hardly to understand and comprehend so my games so terrible. I picked-up this book last month then i learn right material winning combinations which read some of this pages alas, it also improve my basic calculation. Great book for beginners to all ages!!

This is a good first book for a kid to start with I enjoyed it. Sometimes it gets a little bit hard to follow becuase there are not enough illustratons. Otherwise a great book!

Anyone who is either thinking about getting into chess playing or is currently getting their behinds whipped by friends would do well to pick up this book. It is a fantastic start to a chess library, as it gives the novice player a solid background as well as a few nifty moves to make one a formidable player. This book teaches a player how to think two, three, or four moves ahead and accurately predict how your opponent will fall in line.

This should only be the first in a series of books any beginning player should read, but itis a highly recommended starting place.

I must admit that I am only on the 3rd chapter of this book. I began reading it 4 days ago. It has helped me tremendously. I had to give it a rating before I finished the book to let those who are in a similar position see how great this book is. I have been playing street chess for about 7 years. I must say that I was pretty good or at least thought I was. I had no formal training, I didn't even know what an 'opening' was. I could play but didn't have a solid foundation of strategy and tactics. For the past 3 months I have been searching for a book that would give me a good foundation. It was necessary for me to Reassess my chess from the ground up. Several books were over my head and I thought about the Idiot's Guide. Anyway, "The Right Way to Play.." has helped me to understand annotations and several other aspects of learning about the game from the first few chapters. If you are a somewhat good player w/out any formal training and do not know where to take your game from here, get this book to build a solid foundation and you will be sure to increase in knowledge and ability.
I will write again when I finish this book to give you a more serious and in depth rating of TRWTPC.

I had been playing chess very occassionally and with absolutely no instruction for some time, especially on Yahoo! Chess. Then, I saw Garry Kasparov vs. Deep Junior on ESPN2 (side note: I wish they'd show chess somewhat regularly), and I was immediately taken. I searched for a short while for a beginners chess book and found "The Right Way to Play Chess" by D. Brine Pritchard.

If you buy this book, it would be quite helpful to have a chess set or program. There are illustrations, but they usually come after ten or more moves in Pritchard's examples, and are difficult to follow without a visual aid. This is the only major downfall, and is why I did not give the book 5 stars.

Also, if you're not a buyer from the U.K., you might be slightly put off by Pritchard's diction (he's British), although I really saw no problem with it.

As any beginners book should, "The Right Way to Play Chess" starts off with the rules of the game. Even if you are familiar with the game, there is some information here you might be unfamiliar with, such as the "en passant" rule. If you already know what that is, then it's probably safe to skip the first chapter.

After that, everything is useful, even to those who have experience. Rudimentary theory covers positions and moves you will see time and again, such as the pin and the fork. After some helpful examples from play and basic coverage of the powers of the chessmen and strategies you should keep in mind for each, the book is basically divided into the opening, middlegame, and endgame, and is capped off with examples of master play.

The structure of the book is well-thought out and organized. Pritchard provides very useful examples in each section. After studying this book (and occassionally using it for reference), I have become a stronger player.

I would recommend this book to any beginner who is fairly serious about getting better.

He demonstrates incredible insight when discussing moral and scientific dilemmas in modern American context, a must-read!

Elliott's book is a good read for those who have ever worried about America's growing obsession with medicine and technology. Even if you haven't ever wondered or thought about this part of American life, read the book anyway, because you should probably start. Elliott brings in a little of everything: the past, present and future, and scientific data as well as personal opinion, in order to ask the question, 'So where are we going with all this?' I think that this book can start a lot of us out on the right foot in trying to answer that question...

A very interesting look at the various "enhancement" procedures and medications that have become so widely used in our society. One of the more disturbing trends is that of voluntary amputation. This apparently is sought by people with healthy limbs who feel uncomfortable with their bodies.For example,a man who felt that his legs were never really a true part of him,may choose to become a double amputee. Not for the faint of heart.

I got this book based on his April 2006 Atlantic Monthly article. Turns out that he spends nearly the first two chapters with a focus on patients who have undergone sex change operations. Lots of useful information and insights...but he does overanalyze "identity." I realized that he doesn't quite "get it" when he asserted that we teach our children to fake gratitude and appreciation to others.

A fascinating look enhancement technologies, from Ritalin to sex changes to voluntary amputations. Journalistic in style, but packs some serious philosophical ...

Being an amateur nature recordist myself, I think the recordings on the CD are of the highest quality and done very professional. The book pictures are good. The voice descriptions are to the point, with a general time table for when each species can be heard.

The National Wildlife Federation is using this book for their Frogwatch USA Program.
Record the Ribbet is scheduled for May 3,2008.

Since moving to the country and acquiring a pond, a whole new world of amphibian sounds has added enjoyment to everyday living for our family. This CD has a put a face, name, and description to each of these fascinating calls and made identifying them fun and interesting.

Now I know what some of those strange sounds are out there and WHO's making them! I enjoy listen to this in my car as I'm stuck in traffic. This CD and the book are both fun - young and old will enjoy them. My extremely active son and my more laid back mother both have enjoyed these. It's a winner!

I also purchased the Birds CD/Book and the Insects CD/Book. These, too, are an excellent purchase. The Insects CD actually put my son to SLEEP in the car!

The real value in this compact field guide is not in the very clear photos and descriptions, but is in the remarkably clear and useful recordings of amphibian calls. Since frogs and toads are active at night, they are generally identified by their calls - and this is the most useful guide I have obtained. Great addition to any naturalist's field guide collection!

Not for the weak of heart, this book is a fascinating read. I'm excited to read the next books in the series.

Elliott has an important story and a voice that can tell it. I'm a former runaway, now working with poor kids--- and it's gratifying to hear somebody tell the story that so many children are living. He gives a human face to a huge social problem. I recommend this to anyone who works with kids or cares about our future.

As a new social worker on the streets and in the homes of children from all different backgrounds, I found this book to be an "eye awakening" story of a child's place in this world. Stephen Elliott suffered more than any child should ever have to suffer and against all odds, got his life together. This book should inspire all who work with disadvantaged, abused and neglected children to continue to wake up daily and try to make a difference. This book inspires me...

A fast-paced account of a boys search for love and belonging on the gritty streets of Chicago. He survives abuse by his father and the death of his mother. Follow him through his struggles in mental institutions and group homes where he meets others like him as he becomes determined to not end up another tragedy.
He brilliantly captures the voice of kids growing up with everything stacked against them.

"A Life Without Consequence" is one of the best books I've read this year. It's a quick, satisfying read, touching and poignant, but never overly sentimental or maudlin. What I liked most about the book is that it tells an interesting and compelling story of a boy's life while also providing an intimate look into the world of homeless and group home children. Though the subject is at times heavy, reading this book is a pleasure.

Hi,
I liked very much of this dictionary, but making comparison with other types of kind of papers, I didn't like. I think the paper has bad quality and this may affect the life time of this book.

I love these dictionaries. I started using the "Little" as a bedside dictionary many years ago. Now I give them as gifts to kids entering middle school or high school -- they can carry them in backpacks easily and/or use them when reading in bed.

It is since the revised seventh edition that I've been using this dictionary. I replaced my old Harrap's Pocket Dictionary that I had been using until its demise. As a learner of English I always need a dictionary in my bag while I'm travelling and reading magazines, both of which I do daily. I've found the seventh and eighth editions pretty good, so I have ordered the ninth one too and am waiting for its arrival which is due in the early days of August. As I see it, the new edition is a couple of pages longer than the previous edition. These books don't have long lifetimes with me. They last for 2 to 4 years. They literally fall apart after that time. It starts with the spine, then goes on to the cover pages (these things you can mend with duct tape) and at last the contagion spreads to the "a" section of the dictionary (unfortunately, in spite of being a hardcover book, its pages are only glued together and not bound with thread).

Something more about the contents: The seventh edition still had the pronunciation guide with every single word using the International Phonetic Alphabet. Since the eighth edition this feature disappeared and was replaced by the almost random but very rare pronunciation guides (using the dictionary's own phonetic system) where the authors think that they are needed, however, quite often they are not available for words I would need them with and available with ones I don't know why they bothered with. On the other hand, the selection of words in the dictionary is excellent, I have to use the WAP dictionaries quite rarely to check words not in the dictionary. Still, at home I never use this dictionary. In the first round I use some advanced learner's dictionary (Oxford, Macmillan, Longman, Cambridge) or with rare words the Chambers Dictionary or the American Heritage Dictionary. I prefer advanced learner's dictionaries for all the extra information they give about the usage of words.

On the last pages of the eighth edition there is a Supplement with such useful sections such as Commonly Misspelled Words (or confused word-pairs), Countries (with adjectival forms and currency names), Weights and Measures, Symbols, etc. You rarely use these pages, but they come handy occasionally.

All in all, in my opinion this dictionary can be recommended to those on the move. It is worth the price and doesn't take up too much space even in a (sizeable) hand bag.

I really liked this dictionary, my friend had a copy, so I ordered it. This must be a newer edition, some of the words, esp Brit slang, aren't in mine, so I'm a bit disappointed.

Let's face it: this is the only dictionary for people in love with language, especially the King's/Queen's English. For "Americanisms" the American Heritage might be better, but for serious writers and scholars, look no further. And this little mite is a chip off the old block, i.e., the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, which I keep on my headboard. This one I keep above my computer for quick, light-weight, i.e. easy-to-reach/grab reference. The best, is this one.