LESLIE FIFTH EDITION 20,000 WORDS-A BOOK REVIEW
Old Book Still Handy
There are very many valuable tools available for the writer these days. From the software on our computers to the printed form of a dictionary, I tend to use them all from time to time. But while looking through books at a yard sale one day I found a quick reference guide I have used on many occasions. A quarter well spent at many levels. It’s the Leslie Fifth Edition, 20,000 WORDS by Louis A. Leslie, copyright 1965 by McGraw-Hill, Inc.
This little book has so much to offer. It’s a dictionary without definitions. The reason for publication was to help those looking for the correct spelling as in most cases it is why we go to a dictionary to begin with. The vocabulary list here has been carefully selected and because the definitions have been omitted it was possible to print this small book in large type.
Small And Convenient
Leslie Fifth Edition of 20,000 Words has the spelling and the syllabication in accordance with Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary and the division of the words into syllables is indicated with centered periods. Homonyms and other confusing words have a short definition clue given. Abbreviations are given for different parts of speech for words where spelling varies.
This convenient little book also has a section to explain punctuation usage. It has a table of weights and measurements at the end of the book which includes the metric system. It has a lot packed into its two hundred and fifty pages which are only 3.5”x5”. It’s a pocket size book with the value of a full size dictionary for those needing a quick spelling guide. I strongly recommend this book to any writer who has a problem remembering how to spell words correctly.
