by Chi Shen Muzzy? Theosophy? Muon? Debouch? Where do Time writers get all those words, and why aren’t they in the dog-eared, bilingual Far Eastern lexicon that got you successfully through the JCEE? Your professor keeps encouraging you to use an English-English college edition dictionary - but where do you go to get it, and which one should you pick? Unfortunately, the Foreign Exchange didn’t go to press early enough to tell you about Bookman’s (書林; 2F-5, 88, Hsinsheng S. Rd., Sec. 3) 15 percent off reference book sale, which ran from September 25 to October 31 - hopefully you heard about it elsewhere and got yourself a good deal on a Webster’s or American Heritage dictionary.
The main goal of the sale was to promote books put out by some of the publishers Bookman is agent for: Random House, Webster’s, and Collins. This year Bookman is offering a three-volume set of English dictionaries from Collins, covering English, English grammar and English usage (this volume is recommended as a composition handbook by Mr. Bruce Bagnell). Other works to check out include Mastering English Usage (NT$270), The Describer’s Dictionary (NT$400), and the Finder set: Rodale’s Word Finder, Synonym Finder, and Phrase Finder. The Synonym Finder is probably the most comprehensive English thesaurus you’ll find anywhere. Two other bookstores, Crane’s (文鶴; 109, 6th fl., Hoping East Road, Section 1) and Lai-Lai (來來; 271, 4th fl., Roosevelt Road, Section 3), are worth a visit for their Longman and American Heritage dictionaries. Crane’s offers a broad selection of Longman publications, while Lai-Lai concentrates more on light, pocket-size paperback dictionaries. Cave’s (敦煌; 103, Chungshan North Road, Section 2) is the standard source for popular editions, but also has plenty of reference books in stock. It’s always good to comparison shop! Cave’s offers a 10 percent discount for orders of 10-20 copies of the same book, and 15 percent off for more than 20 copies of the same book. Cave’s is agent for the Longman Activator, Longman Business English, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Oxford Wordpower, and the Oxford Current English Idioms. You just might find something of interest at Lucky Book Store (師大書苑; 129, 1st fl., Hoping East Road, Section 1), in the Mandarin Center building; though their forte’ is travel books and miscellany rather than reference works as such. And if you’re willing to do a bit of foraging, stop by Chin Shan Book and Stationery (金山圖書; 12, B1, Chunghsiao East Road, Section 4, Lane 49). They always seem to be in the midst of a going-out-of- business sale, but they are still around after all these years. While organization is not their strong suit, you may well discover hidden treasure at Chin Shan (their Chinese name is eminently appropriate), and get a good deal on it to boot. Forget about special orders at this place - you have to just take (or decline) what they have sitting out. One thing to keep in mind is that not all reference works are created equal. Check first with your professor, then consider your options carefully. Which book gives you the best feeling? How comprehensive is it? Can you understand the pronunciation key? Does it give good examples? Does it provide etymologies? Is the printing clear? And of course, is the price reasonable? The most expensive may not necessarily be the best for your needs - take some time, pick the right books for you, and they will serve you long after you leave the NTU flock. Wondering where to look for good second foreign language dictionaries and grammars? Or where to find the latest Japanese novels? Don’t miss the next Foreign Exchange! a
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May 2024
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