Dictionary recommendations

[Pooh Bear]

As much as I would love to own the complete 20 volume set of the OED, it is slightly out of my price range. When I win the lottery, this is on the top of my to buy list.

What would you say is a good dictionary, that is a bit less intense the complete OED, but better than a cheap paper back.

Also, I read a lot of Victorian and older books, and some times the words I look up are not in my current dictionary. I hate looking words up on the computer, especially at 2 in the morning. Is there a reference book/dictionary that has older words in it?

[Orthodox6]

Have you looked at the Oxford American English Dictionary? Single-volume.

[nmoira]

As much as I would love to own the complete 20 volume set of the OED, it is slightly out of my price range. When I win the lottery, this is on the top of my to buy list.

What would you say is a good dictionary, that is a bit less intense the complete OED, but better than a cheap paper back. I'd wager the Shorter Oxford will meet your literary needs. We have it in hardcover (2 vols) and CD-ROM, with the CD-ROM version getting the most use. Can you access the OED through your library? It's too cumbersome a process to frequently look up words this way, but I find when the Shorter Oxford isn't enough it's nice to have access.

[luv2quilt]

We really like the American Heritage College Dictionary.

[Sharon in MD]

We like the American Heritage. I'm not sue how it will hold up against more Victorian usage or before, but I did compare it around quite a bit before selecting it.