Yesterday we talked about some of the online resources you can use for vocabulary study and practice; today we’ll review a few hard-copy paper books that are useful references, and which should be available in your local library. Whether you’re interested in learning new words for fun, or you’re studying for an examination, you’ll find these resources worth keeping on hand.

Better WordPower
(Janet Whitcut, Oxford University Press)

With an extensive “Topics” section, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone who needs to get a quick lesson in category-specific vocabulary. Architecture, finance, law, physics, and music are only a few of the targeted areas, providing hundreds of terms that are necessary to be confident and competent when working in those fields. We recommend this book for anyone whose native language is not English who is considering moving to an English-speaking country for a job in one of these professions.

English Vocabulary Quick Reference: A Dictionary Arranged by Word Roots
(Roger Crutchfield, Lexadyne Publications)

After you’ve put all that effort into studying and memorizing word roots, as we’ve suggested, wouldn’t it be nice to have a dictionary that groups its entries by those root words? Here it is, ready for your use and reference when you’re studying for the SAT. In fact, this dictionary color-codes its entries, highlighting the ones that often appear on SAT exams.

The Words You Should Know to Sound Smart
(Robert Bly, Adams Media)

This book is subtitled “1200 Words Every Sophisticated Person Should Able to Use” and – well, that says it all. Robert Bly is a professional author, and his humorous take on language is a pleasure to read. Each word has a pronunciation guide, a definition, a notation on which part of speech it is, and an example of how the word is used. The index at the end will help you quickly find both specific and related entries.

Endangered Words: A Collection of Rare Gems for Book Lovers
(Simon Hertnon, Skyhorse Publishing)

This book is a delight, if you’re the sort of person who’s delighted by the beauty of words. The author has collected 100 old to modern words that are not in general use but, he believes, should be. For anyone who enjoys using new or unusual words for the sheer poetic fun of it, this is an enjoyable reference. Of course, if you already know the meaning of ambsace, handsel, and zemblanity, you might need to choose another book!

Submit a comment with your suggestions for interesting and useful vocabulary reference books.