We recently replaced the “old” 55” flat-screen TV we have mounted above the fireplace in the living room with a brand new 65” flat-screen TV. Ordinarily a TV would last us a decade or more, but for some reason, the old TV started to get darker and darker, and it just seemed time. The new TV feels like a movie theater—all of us agree it is a change for the better. I watched two-thirds of White Christmas on it last night. What a delight!
We also replaced our dining room table and chairs. The ones we had for the last decade began to show their age. The cushions on the chairs seemed to slowly disintegrate. The table surface is marred with a decade of spills, chips, and scratches. It was time for a refresh.
And since the spirit of refresh was in the air, I took the opportunity to refresh my reference books, some of which have lasted decades. I got myself a New Oxford American Dictionary (Third Edition); an Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus (Third Edition); an Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases; and an Oxford Dictionary of Quotations By Subject. I retained my Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition) since I've had that since college and it is fun to flip through and see all of the words I've highlighted over the years. I also added pocket editions of Merriam-Webster's dictionary and thesaurus, which I toss into my backpack when I travel.
Rounding out my reference books: Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage, edited by Butterfield, and a used copy of Fowler's Modern English Usage (Second Edition) revised by Sir Ernest Gowers. I've got the Concise Columbia Dictionary of Quotation, which my friend Shannon gave to me as a holiday gift on Christmas Day, 1992, writing inside, “Someday I will open a book like this to see a quote from you.” I've got Merriam-Webster's Word-for-Word Spanish-English Dictionary, Strunk & White's The Elements of Style, and The U.S. Constitution. I got rid of my outdated 2021 World Almanac, trading up for the 2026 World Almanac. Finally, there is my gigantic Oxford Atlas of the World.
These reference books (save for the atlas) sit within arm's reach of my desk, right beside another important set of reference books—all of my diaries going back to 1996. Most, if not all, of these books are available in some form online, and while it might be quicker to lookup a word on my phone or laptop, I find no joy in doing so. I like pulling the massive New Oxford American Dictionary off the shelf and riffling through to find the word I am looking for (always highlighting it, always careful to check the proper pronunciation). Looking up a word on my phone reminds me of the trope of reanimating the dead with life, only to find them empty and lifeless. Looking up words on a phone is empty and lifeless to me.
I enjoy the challenge of obscure words or words that I've never encountered, keeping a tally of how often they don't appear in my reference books. Take arcology, which I came across in a Harlan Ellison essay from the early 1980s, but was absent from Oxford and Merriam-Webster's. (The word is a portmanteau of architecture and ecology.)
There are certainly reference books that I am missing, but I try to keep my reference books down to the minimum that I use with any degree of frequency. (Part of the reason I got the smaller, pocket version of Merriam-Webster's is because I found myself frequently in need of a dictionary while out of the house and I didn't like being forced to use my phone.) I don't use medical terms frequently enough to warrant a medical dictionary. Some kind of scientific dictionary may be in my future, however. And I would not turn down a new biographical dictionary, although I do make occasional use of Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology (Second Edition), which fits the bill for 90% of the use cases I have. I don't write verse so there is no need for a rhyming dictionary.
I use these books when I write, whether it is a post like this one, a story, an essay, a letter, and I sometimes find myself surrounded by open dictionaries and other references, and on those occasions, life is good.
I am showing my age, too, I fear, and I try to ignore the glances from wife and children, but I can read it in their eyes when they look at me. Their eyes say: Dad, I think it's time for a refresh.
