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Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus | 
 enlarge | Creators: Rick Moody, Christine A. Lindberg
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $40.00
Buy New: $26.40
You Save: $13.60 (34%)
New (28) Used (7) from $23.98
Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 6697
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 2
Pages: 1128
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.9
Dimensions (in): 10 x 7.2 x 2.4
ISBN: 0195342844
Dewey Decimal Number: 423.12
EAN: 9780195342840
ASIN: 0195342844
Publication Date: November 11, 2008
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Product Description
This new edition of the Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus is more exceptional than ever, solidifying its place as the one thesaurus every writer (or aspiring writer) will want to have. It provides more than 300,000 synonyms and 10,000 antonyms, with copious real-life example sentences and careful selection and ordering of the most relevant synonyms. Additional features include notes on American English usage and word spectrums showing the shades of meaning between polar opposites. The text is enhanced with thoughtful mini-essays on favorite words by ten noted contemporary writers--David Auburn, Michael Dirda, David Lehman, Erin McKean, Stephin Merritt, Francine Prose, Zadie Smith, Jean Strouse, David Foster Wallace, and Simon Winchester.
This new edition has been updated and enhanced, including a new foreword by award-winning author Rick Moody. Additionally, the second edition introduces new Word Toolkits, which use an exciting visual display of information to demonstrate the nuances in meaning and use of closely related words. Also new to this edition is a center section including thematic word lists, as well as a comprehensive language guide with writing tips. The new features are based on findings from Oxford's groundbreaking language research program and the Oxford English Corpus.
The Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus is truly (surely, certainly, unquestionably) the perfect tool for discriminating writers of all varieties looking for the perfect word.
Praise for the first edition:
"The best new array of synonyms around."
--William Safire, The New York Times Magazine
"The only problem in consulting this book could be that the original purpose soon is lost while the reader becomes immersed in one fascinating passage after another." --Richmond Times Dispatch
"Practice writing sharper essays with just the right words from the new Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus."-Parade
"A person looking up a word may continue reading for another 15 minutes or so just out of interestThis is probably the best thesaurus yet."--Desert News
"Written by writers for writers, this innovative thesaurus truly advances the time-honored word source."--American Libraries
"A title that breathes fresh life into a genre very much in need of CPR. This work breaks away from the traditional format of simple lists of synonyms and antonyms by offering a number of ingenious and helpful features set within boxes in the text.... Highly recommended."--Library Journal (Starred Review)
"In the jargon of sportscasters The Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus is a triple threat: It's a freshly conceived guide to finding just the right word, it's published by the greatest name in English reference books, and it offers thoughtful, amusing and provocative mini-essays on 240 favorite words by nine distinguished contemporary writers."
--Michael Dirda, Pulitzer Prize winning critic and longtime journalist for The Washington Post
"This very readable reference will help writers find the most precise word for their needs.... Current, thoughtful, and attractively formatted, this is an indispensable tool for writers."
--School Library Journal (Starred Review)
"Perhaps the thesaurus's most fascinating feature is lengthy lists of words that link opposites--fat and thin, comic and tragic, interesting and boring. With this book close at hand, no one will call you the thesaurus's ultimate synonym for writer: a hack."
--Village Voice
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
A New Concept, More Complete than Most October 19, 2004
John Matlock (Winnemucca, NV)
117 out of 127 found this review helpful
Gustave Flaubert said, "All talent for writing consists after all of nothing more than choosing words." And how can that be wrong. Even as I write this review, I am only choosing words. But to say exactly what I mean is sometimes difficult. I want to say something, I know there is a word that expresses exactly what I want to say, but I can't think of it. Hence a thesaurus.
This new thesaurus carries things a lot further. Rather than just providing a list of alternative words, here are real-life example sentences, explicit distinctions for the most commonly used synonyms and many additional features. As an example, here is the entry for the word dramatize:
dramatize verb 1. the novel was dramatized TURN INTO A PLAY/MOVIE/MOTION PICTURE/FILM, adapt for the stage/screen.
2. the tabloids dramatized the event EXAGGERATE, overdo, overstate, hyperbolize, magnify, amplify, inflate; sensationalize, embroider, color, aggrandize, embellish, elaborate; informal blow up (out of all proportion).
 An awkward combination of thesaurus and essays November 15, 2004
John
117 out of 167 found this review helpful
If you want a thesaurus, I recommend "The Synonym Finder" (if you want an alphabetical thesaurus) and "Bartlett's Roget's Thesaurus" (if you want a traditional thesaurus arranged by subject).
If you want a book that explains the differences between synonyms, I recommended the Merriam-Webster "Dictionary of Synonyms" or "Choose the Right Word."
However, in the unlikely event that you want a thesaurus interspersed with essays by supposed writing experts, you might enjoy this book. I'd like to point out, though, that all thesauruses are for writers, and calling this a "writer's thesaurus" doesn't make it any more so.
All in all, this is an average thesaurus, but the essays are a distraction and their tone is too personal and opinionated for a reference work. Because of this, I don't think this book will stand the test of time.
A thesaurus with flair August 15, 2005
Jillie (Germany)
73 out of 74 found this review helpful
I like this thesaurus. I've recently returned to school after a long absence, and I quickly realized that I needed more than my trusty Webster's and the thesaurus from my computer word program. The American Writer's Thesaurus does what any standard thesaurus can do, but it has style and panache. Since I was unable to see the book before I purchased it, I relied on the reviews for guidance. Some of the commentary left me with the impression that I would be wading through essays before I found what I wanted. But I took a chance and I'm glad I did.
The essays are mere paragraphs interspersed throughout the book on an as needed basis and serve to expand the usage of a word. It's in alphabet format and contains several features such as The Right Word, Word Spectrums and Word Banks. These features are lists of words or short paragraphs that elaborate on commonly misused words. One last handy reference is the Understanding Grammar section at the back of the book. This is a super little primer or memory jogger for the rules of English.
As the author points out, a thesaurus does not replace a dictionary. But this book does make it easier to understand the connation of a word. I think that if you are looking to expand your word usage, this book is an excellent reference book that's interesting and not staid. I purchased it along with S.I. Hayakawa's "Choose the Right Word." Hayakawa's book is a fabulously helpful, interesting and easy to read reference that offers an in depth description of the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, differences between synonym choices. With considerably more depth, but fewer entries, it is an excellent companion to "The American Writer's Thesaurus."
If you're looking to replace your worn out thesaurus, or to include an alphabet style reference, or you'd just like to add some interest to your reference book collection, this thesaurus would be an excellent pick. Preference is an individual choice and not every reference book is right for every person, but this book is perfect for me. Are you sending a child to college? Please consider Christine A. Lindberg's "American Writer's Thesaurus", S.I. Hayakawa's "Choose the Right Word," and a good dictionary as necessary tools for success.
A new and thought-provoking tool for writers December 28, 2004
Anna Twelve (Boston, MA)
35 out of 36 found this review helpful
I was given this as a gift and it was the best present I've received in years. The combination of essays and synonyms makes you want to rummage through the pages. The more words you run across the richer and more expressive your writing will be, and this thesaurus really introduces you to a glorious many.
I really like the personal tone of the writers' essays -- it takes what could be a forbidding, boring reference book and makes it like taking a class with these writers. (Where is it written that reference books have to be overserious killjoys to be authoritative? This one manages to be both readable and responsible.)
If you are still using a skimpy paperback thesaurus, upgrade! You'll be glad you did.
More synonyms than the others April 20, 2006
J. H. Kremer (La Verne, CA USA)
26 out of 28 found this review helpful
I went to the bookstore and chose five thesauruses (none of them "pocket"). I then chose five words, and looked them up in each of the thesauruses. I counted the synonyms given in each thesaurus. The Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus always had more words, usually by approx. X2. (I looked at the words too, of course, and they weren't far fetched.) I then went back to Amazon and ordered it, because it was so much cheaper at Amazon than at the bookstore. If you know your English well enough to sort out the ones from those given that actually apply to your text, then this is the thesaurus for you. I don't know about you but when I need to use my thesaurus I want the maximum selection of synonyms to choose from.
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