STANDARD WORKS PUBLISHED SY 



WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY. 



From tlie QUARTERLY REVIEW, Oct. 1873. 



" Seventy years passed before JOHNSON was followed by Webster, an 

 American writer, who faced the task of the English Dictionary with a 

 full appreciation of its requirements, leading to better practicaljesults." 



" His laborious comparison of twenty languages, though never pub- 

 lished, bore fruit in his own mind, and his training placed him both in 

 knowledge and judgment far in advance of Johnson as a philologist. 

 Webster's ' American Dictionary of the English Language ' was pub- 

 lished in 1828, and of course appeared at once in England, where 

 successive re-editing has as yet kept it in the highest place as a practical 

 Dictionary." 



" The acceptance of an American Dictionary in England has itself 

 had immense effect in keeping up the community of speech, to break 

 which would be a grievous harm, not to English-speaking nations 

 alone, but to mankind. The result of this has been that the common 

 Dictionary must suit both sides of the Atlantic." .... 



" The good average business-like character of Webster's Dictionary, 

 both in style and matter, made it as distinctly suited as Johnson's was 

 distinctly unsuited to be expanded and re-edited by other hands. 

 Professor Goodrich's edition of 1847 is not much more than enlarged 

 and amended, but other revisions since have so much novelty of plan 

 as to be described as distinct works." .... 



" The American revised Webster's Dictionary of 1864, published in 

 America and England, is of an altogether higher order than these last 

 The London Imperial and Student's]. It bears on its title-page the 

 names of Drs. Goodrich and Porter, but inasmuch as its especial im- 

 provement is in the etymological department, the care of which was 

 committed to Dr. MAHN, of Berlin, we prefer to describe it in short as 

 the Webster-Mahn Dictionary. Many other literary men, among them 

 Professors Whitney and Dana, aided in the task of compilation and 

 revision. On consideration it seems that the editors and contributors 

 have gone far toward improving Webster to the utmost that he will 

 bear improvement. The vocabulary has become almost complete, as 

 regards usual words, while the definitions keep throughout to Webster's 

 simple careful style, and the derivations are assigned with the aid of 

 good modern authorities." 



" On the whole, the Webster-Mahn Dictionary as it stands, is most 

 respectable, and CERTAINLY THE BEST PRACTICAL ENGLISH 

 DICTIONARY EXTANT." 



LONDON: GEORGE BELL & SONS, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 



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