Product Description

Roget's Thesaurus ranks as one of the greatest English language reference works, used for generations by anyone looking for help in order to write a letter, prepare a speech, solve a crossword, or write any manner of prose or poem. Its sales now exceed 32 million copies. This edition has been revised and updated to include all the latest buzzwords and phrases. In addition this new edition of Roget contains useful panels of additional information that include such nuggets of information as signs of the zodiac and the origins of familiar quotations that have become an integral part of our everyday language.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8151 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 848 pages

Daily Express
'The indispensable guide to the English language'

Guardian
'One of the English language's greatest achievements'

About the Author
Peter Mark Roget created a classed catalogue of words on a small scale in 1805 for his own use as a writer and lecturer. However, it was only after retiring from the duties of Secretary of the Royal Society that he was able to amplify the volume and create the now famous 1852 edition. Since then, Roget's Thesaurus has been updated many times, but Roget's original classification system for the book has stood the test of time and is still used today. George Davidson is a highly experienced editor and lexicographer, and a former senior editor at Chambers Harrap. He edited the 150th anniversary edition of Roget and is currently writing a Pocket Roget Thesaurus. He lives in Edinburgh.

Customer Reviews

Far more important than a dictionary because...
...this is one of the few books that you can actually use to self-educate. Most fairly literate people progress language acquisition through modifying existing structures and definitions. In this respect a source that actually arranges itself systematically in terms of synonyms and antonyms rather than just defining certain words is always going to win through.

As a teacher of English to young children and an aspiring writer, this edition is an invaluable tool because of its,
* lay-out (seems daunting on first viewing, but it does make sense)
* price
* range (essentially words of common usage as opposed to strictly technical vocab)
* distinction between the different 'Englishes' - I feel that this is relevant to anyone concerned with the cultural predominance of 'American English'

Every home needs one - and this is undoubtedly the best and quite possibly the cheapest.

Invaluable for writing better English
When my old Roget's wore out, I hesitated to buy another – aren't there free on-line services which do the same thing? Wrong. The Penguin Reference Roget's is infinitely superior to the on-line thesaurus services. By narrowing down the scope of the word you're looking for in the index (eg "tired" is subdivided into "inactive", "sleepy" or "fatigued") you rapidly reach exactly the synonyms or related words you're looking for. If you want to improve your English vocabulary and write with concision and style, the printed book remains unbeatable. It's also fun to browse, and makes a great gift.

Conclusion: after 150 years, still a powerful writing tool.

Roget's Thesaurus
I bought this copy after my old one literally fell to bits after years of constant use. The content is the same so it has the potential to provide one with a huge variety of different words and phrases in the same way my beloved previous copy did. However, I gave it two stars only as the print is SO small that I had to give up using it after five minutes. I would strongly recommend you buy an edition that you can acually SEE.