Langenscheidt Pocket Dictionary German: German-english English-german Vinyl Bound – April 1, 2011

This is the German dictionary to use every day, at the kitchen table, on the street, and on the desk. Over 90% of the time you do not need to move up to a bigger dictionary. If you want a so-called pocket German-English, English-German dictionary, this particular brand and item is the one you want.All general-purpose dictionaries are a collection of compromises of size, cost, entries, convenience, and extra material. There is no single dictionary that is best for all users, for all uses, and for all environments. At the one end of the spectrum are physically big full-size dictionaries with extensive entries, multiple and subtle meanings, usage, full listings for plurals and genitives, verb charts, abbreviations, etc., etc. At the other end are physically very small dictionaries, really word lists, with few and kurt entries. German bilingual dictionaries seem to fall into the following four categories:1. Full-size -- Big and fat, with extensive entries. The massive size and multiple equivalencies, usages, and explanations make these inconvenient for everyday use. But for uncommon or obscure words, and for subtle distinctions, there is no real substitute. These can only be really used in an office setting.2. Mid-size -- Lots of entries, and a good, all-around dictionary for everyday use. Sizes are about that of a college-level English dictionary. Quite usable for most needs. These are most suitable at a desk, although one could carry them around in a briefcase.3. "Pocket" -- Smaller than the mid-size, and with fewer entries and meanings. Although called "pocket" or sometimes compact, they are too big for a shirt pocket. But they can slip into many jacket pockets, backpacks, cargo pants, etc. At their best, they are usable for most daily use, but will fall short for anything really complicated or subtle.4. Miniature -- Really small. Few entries, single or few meanings. At best, these are survival dictionaries. They are supposed to fit into a (large) shirt pocket, but some are really oversize.The big three brand names are Oxford-Duden, Harper-Collins, and Langenscheidt. All have quality scholarship. Selection basically comes down to features, size, number of entries (surprisingly difficult to quantify), format, binding, etc. Several others brands also deliver good dictionaries.This Langenscheidt dictionary is a good "pocket" size, 6.1 x 3.9 x 1.1 inches. The cover is tough bright yellow vinyl. Wears well and is easy to find. Print is good and clear, although perhaps a tad bit small. Black ink on white opaque paper with blue headwords. Very nice. Easy to read in bad light and poor environments. The extras (verb chart, culture, abbreviations, weights and measures, etc.) are well done. It is difficult to see how one could improve this dictionary within these size constraints. The competitive Oxford-Duden Pocket is a fine dictionary and has good, and slightly larger, printing, but is much bigger, in fact, bigger than the Langenscheidt Standard, so really exceeds the dimensions of a "pocket" dictionary, and my copy has a cheap paper cover and binding that is falling apart. The Berlitz Compact with vinyl cover is a close competitor, about the same size, price, and nice blue headwords, but on the downside has a blue cover that is not so easily found during travel clutter, and has a fair size middle section of practice exercise and crossword puzzles that enlarges the book without serving a dictionary function. The miniature Langenscheidt Universal is not really a substitute. It has too few entries, and is almost as thick as the Langenscheidt Pocket. Perhaps the real test is usage. Of the dozen or so German dictionaries at my fingertips, including those by the big three, and Berlitz, Cassell, etc., the Langenscheidt Pocket is by far the most used.Please note that one other reviewer had a problem with the vinyl binding on Langenscheidt's German edition of this dictionary. See his review and associated comments. My copy, has no such problem, as is expected by this cover's reputation. However, and surprisingly, my new copy of Langenscheidt's Basic German Vocabulary is starting to split on the vinyl hinge. We will keep a watchful eye.My recommendation: Don't even think about it. If you are in the market for a small portable German-English, English-German dictionary, this is the best of the lot. Just buy the Pocket Langenscheidt.

I'm a German major and have taken various courses in topics like film, business, poetry, literature, history, etc. and this dictionary has served well. I'd say that about 80%+ of the words I try to look up are in there. There are plenty of usage examples, which is helpful. Of course, as it's a pocket dictionary, it doesn't have all the words you'll ever need, but the size is just right for carrying to class without sacrificing much in the way of comprehensiveness. Some other "pocket dictionaries" have a smaller cover but are then thicker, like a cube, and that isn't easy to pack or even carry in a stack with binders/books, etc, which defeats the purpose of portability. This was the 3rd or 4th De-En dictionary I tried and I think I've finally got what I want.

Compared to the large college Langenscheidt, there are short-comings, but as a compact dictionary to take along to Germany, this is excellent. Using blue type for the headwords make them easy to find and the dictionary quick to use. The printing is small but not difficult to red and in the useful appendices there are temperature conversion scales, weights and measures, currencies and numbers.

Very useful for learning language . I carry a travel berlitz book when traveling bc that has useful phrases and different chapters for travel purposes. but langenscheidt is pretty much what i used for a good dictionary . I've it the italian and spanish ones for when I was learning those languages. It's a good size. Has a nice cover that's good for frequent use.

Excellent dictionary although the print could be slightly larger. The blue highlights for the headwords make it much easier to read and use. The vinyl cover provides great protection and should insure a long life of frequent use. Phonetic pronunciation is provided for most words but for some reason not all of them, note that the pronunciation is only provided for the German words not the English, so not quite as useful for a German student using it to translate into English. The size works well for carrying about when traveling yet still a decent size for a desk dictionary.

I bought this for my son who will be traveling to Germany next month, thus I can't yet speak to the actual usefulness of the pocket dictionary itself. However, the vinyl cover and contrasting blue ink for the headwords are useful upgrades. Prior to my purchase I went to a local bookstore and saw older versions and other publishers' dictionaries, and this new one really stands out.I was dismayed to get this brand new product with slightly wrinkled pages though

I love this dictionary. Perfect size, loaded with information, well-designed. It's fun just to browse and look for new words.One small annoyance: the pronunciations are in the German->English part of the dictionary. So if you don't know the German word for something, you look it up in the English->German part, and it tells you the German word but not the pronunciation; so you have to look it up again in the German->English part to get the pronunciation.

The text and style is set up very nicely. Easy to read. Plenty of extra helpful things in the back like conversions, common abbreviations, etc. Typically phrases also included in the definitions of words. Overall I am very pleased.