This one is for Sacha (with KH and M-W update NEW)

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• Book Review: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
  
  
  Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Publisher: Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster, 2006. $26.95. SBN: 0877798079 9780877798071 9780877798071 0877798079 # OCLC: 66262588
  
  This collegiate dictionary includes fewer words than M-W's unabridged international edition and more words than the corresponding paperback. Called a desktop version, the collegiate dictionary includes about 100 new words not found in the previous edition, which holds a 1993 copyright and was called groundbreaking by its publisher because it merged paper, CD, and online versions when it was first published.
  
  The M-W Web site states this collegiate dictionary has more then 225,000 entries. In comparison, M-W also publishes the Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged with more more than 472,000 entries, at $129.00. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, at $12.95, with more than 75,000 definitions is the paperback subset of the collegiate dictionary.
  
  From the Web site, here is a sampling of some of the new words in the 2006 version
  
  Business and industry - agritourism, big box
  Computers and technology - mouse potato, spyware,ringtone
  Entertainment and leisure - labelmate, ollie, wave pool
  International - manga, qigong
  Nature - aquascape, coqu
  Popular culture - soul patch, supersize
  Science and medicine - biodiesel, gastric bypass,avian influenza
  The Human Condition - drama queen, unibrow
  Miscellaneous - sandwich generation
  
  The dictionary is what you would expect and does not disappoint. It would be a welcome addition for anyone who wants to have a current edition of this reliable and respected source of information.
  
  Here are some related FAQs adapted from the web site at http://www.m-w.com/info/faq.htm.
  
  What is Merriam-Webster?
  Merriam-Webster is a publisher of language-related reference works. The company publishes a diverse array of print and electronic products, including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition (which the company says is America's best-selling desk dictionary) and Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged.
  
  Does Merriam-Webster have any connection to Noah Webster?
  Merriam-Webster can be considered the direct lexicographical heir of Noah Webster. In 1843, the company bought the rights to the 1841 edition of Webster's magnum opus, An American Dictionary of the English Language, Corrected and Enlarged. At the same time, they secured the rights to create revised editions of the work. Since that time, Merriam-Webster editors have carried forward Noah Webster's work, creating some of the most widely used and respected dictionaries and reference books in the world.
  
  When was Merriam-Webster founded?
  In 1831, brothers George and Charles Merriam opened a printing and bookselling operation in Springfield, Massachusetts which they named G. & C. Merriam Co. The company, which was renamed Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, in 1982, has been in continuous operation since that time.
  
  How long has Merriam-Webster been publishing dictionaries?
  The first Merriam-Webster dictionary was issued on September 24, 1847. It cost $6.00 per copy and earned the praise of such notable figures as President James K. Polk and General Zachary Taylor.
  
  Which dictionary is used on Merriam-Webster Online?
  The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary is based on the print version of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. The online dictionary includes the main A-Z listing of the Collegiate Dictionary, as well as the Abbreviations, Foreign Words and Phrases, Biographical Names, and Geographical Names sections of that book. It also includes 1,000 illustrations and 25 tables. Selected sections of the print Collegiate Dictionary, notably the Signs and Symbols section, are omitted from the online Collegiate Dictionary because they include special characters and symbols that cannot readily be reproduced in HTML.
  
  Are all Webster's dictionaries alike? No. After Noah Webster's death in 1843 and throughout the 19th century, Merriam-Webster produced the finest American dictionaries, building the reputation of the name Webster's to a point where it became a byword for quality dictionaries. But in the late 1800s and early 1900s, legal difficulties concerning the copyright and trademark of the name Webster arose, and eventually many different publishers, some rather unscrupulous, began putting dictionaries on the market under the Webster's name. The net effect of the proliferation of Webster dictionaries is a reference-book marketplace in which consumers are unaware of or confused about what differentiates one Webster from another. In an attempt to draw attention to the issue, in 1982 our company changed its name from G. & C. Merriam Company to Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Other publishers may use the name Webster, but only Merriam-Webster products are backed by over 150 years of accumulated knowledge and experience. The Merriam-Webster name is your assurance that a reference work carries the quality and authority of a company that has been publishing since 1831.