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Webster's New World Dictionary of Media and Communications

New York: Macmillan, revised and updated ed. (1996), iv, 676 pp.

Other editions: 1st ed. 1990, 553 p.

Signature commbox: 10-General-E 1996

"This comprehensive and well-designed dictionary of more than 30,000 media terms is a basic source for communications scholars, students, and practitioners. It covers jargon and slang as well as historical and technical terms, and includes marketing, journalism, book publishing, graphic arts, advertising, and printing. The book jacket describes Weiner as a "public relations consultant who is renowned for his introduction of the Cabbage Patch Kids." Although targeting a different audience with his dictionary, Weiner's humor and originality are still evident. A dingbat, for example, is "a typographic decoration. No kidding. That's what they're called, except when they're called flubdub." Frisky furniture is "Wall Street Journal Jargon for a dull article that was made a bit more sprightly with anecdotes and pithy quotations." Weiner writes that "the basic premise of this book is that each definition is written so that you can understand it even if you are not a professional working in the field. I tried not to be pedantic or esoteric." He succeeds in this; definitions are straightforward, frequently humorous, and vivid in detail. His editorial advisory board includes organizations such as the American Institute of Graphic Arts, American Society of Newspaper Editors, National Association of Broadcasters, and the Videotex Industry Association, to name a few." (Jo A. Cates: Journalism - a guide to the reference literature. Englewood, Col.: Libraries Unlimited, 2nd ed. 1997 nr. 170 on the 1st ed. 1990)