COLLINS DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, 2nd EDITION. Edited by Patrick Hanks. Don Mills (Ont.), Collins Publishers, 1987. 1,800pp, (cloth, plain), ISBN 0-00-433135-4 (cloth, thumb index) $32.95, 0-00-433134-6 (cloth, plain) $29.95. Grades 4 and up Reviewed by Clare A. Darby Volume 15 Number 6 1987 November The creators of this the second edition of the Collins English Dictionary are all eminent scholars whose fields of specialization include English language, linguistics, phonetics, aeronautics, law, philosophy, and physics, to name but a few. The new edition contains over 7,000 new headwords thus updating the dictionary to include 170,000 references, 1,800 pages and 15,000 encyclopedic entries. In updating the 1979 edition, the authors hoped to provide extensive new biographical and geographical entries, to present the most common meanings of terms as they are used today, and to keep pace with the new languages in science and technology. In all three cases they have reached their goal. In this edition you can find accepted definitions and/or information on everything from "breakdancing" to "Torvill and Dean." This work should be of value to scholars, technicians, and the average citizen. It is easily accessed, although the thumb index edition is easier to use. There are no illustrations and older people may find the type a mite small to read clearly. However, for a single-volume dictionary this comprehensive, that is to be expected. The work compares favourably with all other standard dictionaries and should find wide acceptance for curricular, personal, and leisure use. Clare A. Darby, Three Oaks S.H.S., Summerside, P.E.I.