Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics
CHOICE Review
An entirely new title, this will now be the dictionary of choice for up-to-date terminology drawn from aviation, artificial intelligence, photogrammetry, mechanical devices, telecommunications, and all the standard science and engineering fields. At 133,007 entries, this is larger than any other scientific English-language dictionary; definitions in the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms (4th ed., 1989) number 117,500. Common and proper nouns, including personal and taxonomic names, are explained briefly in technical language. The relevant scientific field is designated with each entry. Pronunciation aids are surprisingly rare; McGraw-Hill is eminently more useful for this. The inset photos, while spectacular, are independent of the text, having no apparent logical placement, nor are readers referred there. While suited for advanced users, the AP Dictionary is more readable than McGraw-Hill and covers many terms in brief as opposed to the in-depth treatment of fewer total words in Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia (7th ed., 1989). Important for research level reference collections. L. Bronars; Yale University
Booklist Review
Several excellent science and technology dictionaries and desk encyclopedias have been published in the last four years, including McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms (4th ed. [RBB Je 1 89]), Chambers Science and Technical Dictionary (Cambridge, 1988), Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia (7th ed. [RBB My 1 89]), and the McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science and Technology (2d ed. [RBB S 15 89]). All have had favorable reviews, and each, to some extent, provides definitions of unique terms and has varying methods of presenting the information. Since Academic Press is a major publisher of science and technology information, it is only natural that it would produce its own one-volume reference tool. This large 2,432-page dictionary has a place on all reference shelves, even if the aforementioned titles are owned. This outstanding work covers 124 fields of science and technology from acoustical engineering to cartography, graphic arts, microbiology, organic chemistry, radiology, and zoology. Each of the fields has a brief "window" essay, written by an authority, defining the field, presenting some historical facts, and indicating its current emphases and applications. The dictionary is easy to use with as few complicated instructions as possible. Entries are listed alphabetically letter by letter. There are entries for single words and compound words, abbreviations and acronyms, proper names, and geographic terms. Brief biographical entries include years of birth and death (if applicable). Pronunciation is given for terms where the spoken form of the word may be in question. Each entry has one of the 124 scientific fields assigned to it to further help in understanding the definition. Also included for some entries are etymology, variant spellings, and plural forms of the word. There is a generous use of cross-referencing. The definitions are concise and written on a professional level but can be understood by high school users as well. Illustrations are usually crisp and clear; 24 pages are in full color. Appendixes include symbols and units, fundamental physical constants, measurement conversions, the periodic table, atomic weights of the elements, Solar System data, a geologic timetable, classification of organisms, and a chronology of modern science, including an entry for 1992. Comparing the Academic Press volume with those from McGraw-Hill, Van Nostrand, and Cambridge, the work under review provides the most comprehensive coverage of terminology, with more than 125,000 entries produced over four years through the efforts of more than 400 experts. Terms were gleaned from specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries, and glossaries; textbooks and professional books; and journals and scientific periodicals. The Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology captures the terminology of today and gives modern definitions. This dictionary is highly recommended for all public, academic, and high school libraries. (Reviewed Jan. 15, 1993)
Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics
Christopher Morris is owner of Morris Books and a professional lexicographer who has edited more than 20 different dictionaries on a wide variety of subjects. He is editor in chief of the award-winning Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology, which provides the largest vocabulary of science yet compiled and features special essays by 120 eminent scientists, including nine Nobel laureates. He served as chief editor of the Macmillan school dictionary series, which includes several of the largest-selling educational dictionaries in U.S. history. He has also been an author of school and college textbooks and has compiled many different scientific glossaries, for fields such as ecology, endocrinology, microbiology, oncology, reproductive biology, and toxicology. He and Cutler Cleveland previously collaborated on the Encyclopedia of Energy, winner of an American Library Association award, for which Dr. Cleveland was editor in chief and he served as chief development editor.
