I don't think anything else can be inferred from what I said about Polish bookstores, Liliana.

Originally written by Jacek K. on May 6, 2009 1:20 AMThe 2008 hard cover Markowski I linked to is a single volume with the range of market prices displayed there. I don't know what edition you bought.

It is a 2006 two volume Wielki Slownik Poprawnej Polszczyzny (sorry about the diacritic! that`s why I keep nagging for More Special Characters) pod redakcją Andrzeja Markowskiego, Wydawnictwo naukowe, Warszawa.

If you shop around

I don`t. I go straight to the nearest store and buy what I need there.

Maybe I should invest a couple hundred zlotys in a trip to Sejny and do my shopping there too?

I`m not sure. Fiction prices are kinda regular there. That`s why I`m fussing about the dictionaries.

Originally written by Dodo Kaipdodo on May 6, 2009 1:11 PM It is a 2006 two volume Wielki Slownik Poprawnej Polszczyzny

Well, that explains a lot. I was referring to the 2008 hard cover single volume edition with a CD. It does make sense that an older, less practical (2 vols., probably soft cover) edition with no CD will cost half of that one.

Originally written by Jacek K. on May 6, 2009 10:11 AM  less practical

Do you mean it is not reliable? Should I have not bought it? What about the 1340 pages of hardcover "Nowy Universalny Slownik Angielsko-Polski Polsko-Angielski", published by Delta and even cheaper? I can`t seem to find any date of publishing... 

A sucker, am I?

Originally written by Dodo Kaipdodo on May 6, 2009 10:21 PM Do you mean it is not reliable?

No, I don't. I use a 1999 edition at home and am happy with it.

What about the 1340 pages of hardcover "Nowy Universalny Slownik Angielsko-Polski Polsko-Angielski", published by Delta

I don't know it, but that doesn't mean you are a sucker. It's just that the PWN Oxford one has become the leading PL-EN dictionary these days.

This has little to do with cheap or expensive. There are dictionaries, and not always cheap, I would never recommend. I`m going to tell you something about some Lithuanian ones, but I`m afraid something like that exists for any language.

Two kinds, at least, of dictionaries NOT to buy:

1. Dictionaries of antonyms treating you to words and - oh yeah! - antonyms, the latter being just the same words with negative prefixes. Well, this kind is easy to recognize even when the language in question is not your A.

2. Much more difficult to spot as junk (if the language is not your A) are dictionaries created by linguists with chips on their shoulders. In my country, the favourite chip is the patriotic one. In their zestful fight for pure Lithuanian, some linguists malarkey. An example, just in case:

 I don`t feel like translating this crap. Suffice it to say the distinguished linguists demand that rosette (an ornament) should be called plug socket...

I dearly wish translators would warn colleagues about such dictionaries. Any language. If the phenomenon is not exclusively Lithuanian, I mean...

Originally written by Jacek K. on May 6, 2009 5:13 PM Originally written by Dodo Kaipdodo on May 6, 2009 10:21 PM  "Nowy Universalny Slownik Angielsko-Polski Polsko-Angielski", published by Delta I don't know it, but that doesn't mean you are a sucker.

I am, after all.Or just a lazybones, at the very least. Now that I have explored my latest treasure substantially, I see the Delta one is more than adequate for a beginner, but for a pro... alas! Yes, lots of entries there, but only the main meanings... And some other things I don`t like very much...

I asked the salesgirls for the best they had, and they chose the dictionary in accordance with my spoken Polish, I`m afraid.

Oh I crave for a thread about dictionaries NOT to buy!

But I do like the Markowski and the Wojdakowska and others!

I use both traditional dictionaries and online resources a lot. I have a CD dictionary and a way too heavy paper dictionary - which is invaluable at times.

The CD dictionary is one of best things I have ever purchased, it is so much faster for looking up words than a paper dictionary :-)

I found a use for the old super-thick Harrap's that I had to buy way back around 1973.  It is just the right height to elevate my monitor to a good eye level, and instantly relieved back strain.    Apparently you can't look at the screen of flat tops at an angle.  The old dictionary with its red simulated leather and gold print gives a sophisticated air and a splash of colour.

Maxi

 I find that free internet dictionaries are very limited and don't give much context, whereas paper dictionaries are much clearer with regards to the context in which the word is normally used. I tend to use both - normal dictionaries if I'm unsure, and online dictionaries if I'm just checking something that I think I know anyway.