I decided not to try and trick you on April Fool’s Day with something like “Steve Laube buys yet another shiny industry business. This time he bought the entire out-of-print catalogs from Nomas Telson, Zyndale, and Tondervan. Included in the purchase was the New International Christian Standard Living Message Bible (NICSLMB).”
Instead, I thought about which reference book I use more than any other.
The book?
The Synonym Finder by J.I. Rodale.
I prefer it over Roget’s Thesaurus because it is laid out logically–like a dictionary.
It is my go-to resource when brainstorming book titles (which happens quite frequently).
There are multiple occasions where I need an alternative word to the one I’m trying to use. So I look it up and dozens of synonyms are listed for that word. Over one million of them in the whole book (1,361 pages). For example:
Hysteria. 1. outburst, eruption, explosion, flare-up; fit, seizure, convulsion, spasm, paroxysm.
2. delirium, frenzy, madness, craze, furor, fury, Slang screaming-meemies.
Perfect for when the publisher moved your book’s publication date by three months and forgets to tell you. And you planned your entire travel and speaking schedule around the original release date. You are seized in a paroxysm of fury.
Perfect for when the publisher sends you a horrible design for your book cover that has you erupting in an explosion of madness and screaming-meemies.
If you add this to your library, one suggestion is to buy the hardback. My copy has lasted over 30 years and should last another 30, barring some disaster.
Your turn:
What reference book do you use most frequently? Or, if you must, other than Google, what is your go-to reference site?
