Dictionaries are among the most frequently consulted books, yet we know remarkably little about them. This professional handbook and easy-to-use reference work provides an up-to-date and forward-looking survey of lexicography.

Dictionaries are among the most frequently consulted books, yet we know remarkably little about them. Who makes them? Where do they come from? What do they offer? How can we evaluate them? The Dictionary of Lexicography provides answers to all these questions and addresses a wide range of issues: * the traditions of dictionary-making * the different types of dictionaries and other reference works (such as thesaurus, encyclopedia, atlas and telephone directory) * the principles and concerns of lexicographers and other reference professionals * the standards of dictionary criticism and dictionary use. It is both a professional handbook and an easy-to-use reference work. This is the first time that the subject has been covered in such a comprehensive manner in the form of a reference book. All articles are self-contained, cross-referenced and uniformly structured. The whole is an up-to-date and forward-looking survey of lexicography.

'The publication of this reference work is a landmark event in the history of lexicography ... Hartmann and James' unique methodological approach and extreme informativity have made this a veritable user-friendly survey of a fascinatingly dynamic "professional activity and academic field"', - Language Today

'An outstanding new title ... one woth the attention and sure to grab the interest of any reader of this journal ... it offers a fascinating coverage of a field nota s widely treated in any other reference work.' - Reference Reviews