Description
A DICTIONARY normally takes the uses of words and phrases as such for is subject-matter and is concerned with giving information about the things be which these words and phrases stand only so far as correct use of the wonder depends upon knowledge of the things. In an encyclopedia, on the other hand, the emphasis will be much more on the nature of the things for which the words and phrases stand.
The Oxford Illustrated Dictionary, which forms the first two of these volumes, combines the essential features of dictionary and encyclopedia. The most conspicuous feature, the illustration which gives it its title, has also been considered in the light of this dual requirement: where things are more easily explained by pictures or diagrams than by words, illustrations have been used to help definition.
The third volume, prepared by The Reader's Digest, extends the Oxford University Press's concept. In twenty-nine specialized glossaries, words and phrases are defined in the context of their subjects so that the reader making a technical study or following a particular interest can find the language of the subject defined under one heading. Thus the reader seeking to understand a complex legal document may use the compact glossary of terms under the heading 'English and Scots Law'; the sportsman newly interested in sailing can learn the meaning of its jargon from the glossary of 'Sports and Games'. For accuracy and ease of reference, many words that appear in Volumes I and II have been redefined in Volume III in the specific detail that the enthusiast or specialist student needs, and without the etymologies and pronunciation guides that concern lexicographers.
