Dictionary Appraisal

A Standard Dictionary of the English Language

This is a large, single-volume dictionary titled "A Standard Dictionary of the English Language." The title page indicates it is based "Upon Original Plans" and designed to provide "complete and accurate statement, in the Light of the Most Recent Advances in Knowledge, and in the Readily Form for Popular Use, the Orthography, Pronunciation, Meaning, and Etymology of All the Words and the Meaning of Idiomatic Phrases in the English Speaking Peoples." It was prepared by "More Than Two Hundred Specialists and Other Scholars." The editors listed include Isaac K. Funk, D.D., LL. D., Editor-in-Chief, Francis A. March, LL. D., L. H. D., Consulting Editor, and Daniel S. Gregory, D. D., LL. D., Managing Editor. Associate Editors are James Cranstoun, M.A. and Arthur E. Bonner, PH. D. It is stated as being "COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME." The publisher is Funk & Wagnalls Company with locations in New York, London, and Toronto. The date is clearly printed as 1897. The pages visible are aged with some discoloration and potential foxing. There are minor tears visible at the top edge of the title page. The spine appears to be very thick, indicating a substantial number of pages. The paper is relatively thin but appears to be of decent quality for the time. The binding is not visible in detail, but the thickness suggests a robust construction would be necessary to hold the volume together. The edges of the pages are not perfectly uniform.