HarperCollins Spanish Unabridged Dictionary, 7e ... (ISBN 0060537361)

I would sleep with it under my pillow if it weren't so thick!:
Let me start with, I have the 8th Edition of this dictionary, but I loved it so much that I wanted to write a review, and I couldn't find it on Amazon... When I began corresponding with a Spaniard who did not speak English, I realized that my dinky little pocket Spanish-English dictionary was not working. Between his use of slang, and me being at only an intermediate level of Spanish, I knew I needed to go to the bookstore before I could finish trying to understand his emails. At first, I looked for slang dictionaries, but the majority of them are pretty juvenile and might include only the curse words. Further, the words I wasn't finding in my dictionary weren't curse words, they were just new words or even just common idioms. I looked through every dictionary at the store and decided to buy the first that contained the word "tapear" (seems dumb now, but I didn't know it at the time). This dictionary was the only one that I found with such new words like that. The format of the book is incredibly easy to decipher, and furthermore, it's just plain helpful. It even indicates the level of "casualness" of a word or phrase, so you can avoid embarrassing yourself in certain company. Also, this dictionary gives a very extensive list of idioms right there in the entry for the most important word in the idiom. This is extremely helpful, and the English translations capture the feeling of the sentiment very very well. Not only has this dictionary helped me communicate much more effectively in Spanish when I email my Spanish friend, it's helped me actually improve my Spanish generally. I just can't recommend this dictionary highly enough. My only regret is that I paid so much for it at the bookstore instead of getting this edition on Amazon for much less...

Very good dictionary:
This is a very good dictionary. After reading a number of reviews and researching other Spanish dictionaries it seemed that this was the best choice. It is very thorough and its best feature is probably that with each entry there are examples of how the word can be used in different contexts. The dictionary is English-Spanish, Spanish-English. It does not qualify for free super saver shipping due to its size though I don't believe it was particularly expensive to ship. The 8th edition is being released soon (I believe in August 2005) so if it will bother you to know that your edition will be "outdated" in a month you may prefer to wait for the eighth edition to be released.

Ultimate Spanish Dictionary:
IMHO, this is the best reference dictionary available. Definitely not a pocket book, it is for serious students of the Spanish language and professional translators. It includes all the words - from the vulgar to the esoteric - with a simple system to alert the reader when a word should not be used in polite company.

Best dictionary I've ever used (in any language):
I teach college Spanish, and I always recommend that my students use the Harper Collins. I own a number of different Spanish dictionaries, but the Harper-Collins is by far the best, with many examples of different uses for words. I especially appreciate the extensive list of expressions for idioms and slang, which is why I recommend that my students use it. Many dictionaries (and online translators) are not as user-friendly; they give you a list of possibilities but don't indicate differences in meaning among the various words listed, so essentially you already have to know what you're looking for before you look it up in the dictionary. The Harper Collins is the perfect dictionary for learners at all stages (and not just in Spanish; I have different dictionaries in French, Portuguese and Italian, and Harper Collins is the best across the board).

Very good comprehensive dictionary:
I have used the Collins dictionaries before when I was doing general translations. The format has always been easy to use and the cross references in the text make it ideal when you are dealing with nuances of words. I had forgotten that there is a heavy British English influence in the definitions and spellings, etc. For people used to using different dictionaries and formats, this won't be a problem. For more casual users, it does get confusing and it might be a better idea to go with a different dictionary. I love this dictionary and use it as one of my primary sources when I am doing general translation jobs. If you are looking for a more technical dictionary, this is not it.