McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms

9780070423138

007042313X

Excerpts from review by Svetlana Korolev

This large tome is the latest edition of the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms that has evolved over the past 30 years. The 1st edition was intended for the communities of scientists, engineers, and researchers. This 6th edition supports nonscientists as well. It covers the language of science to include words that have permeated our culture in our endeavor to answer questions about the environment and the world.

Each of the 110,000 terms has a pronunciation guide and the 125,000 definitions include synonyms, acronyms, and abbreviations. The chosen pronunciation scheme is thoroughly explained in the preface, showing why all American dialects are not represented. Each entry falls into one of 104 listed fields, the abbreviation of which is included immediately after the item name. The scope of each field is defined, giving the reader needed context and explanation of the publisher's placement of included terms.

This edition also features 3,000 black-and-white illustrations located on the outside margin of the appropriate term. There is a "How to Use this Dictionary" page, as well as a 35-page table of elements, and biographical listings, plus 12 more sections of scientific information.

...This dictionary is an excellent reference tool for most libraries. It is especially recommended for academic and large public libraries.