If you write a bit, have one of these by your side. For one thing, it's a book. That may sound obvious, but it's an actual, physical, tangible thing, made of card and paper and stuffed with print and, yes, it feels good too, which counts for a lot these days. Unlike the many plastic software equivalents - which have below-zero charm and humanity, and will do nothing to improve your mood or indeed your writing - this wonderful little package will, I promise, become an essential writing tool, able to turn even the most unpromising material into something appreciably better.
Okay, I'm not particularly interested in the specifics of the OXFORD PAPERBACK THESAURUS, save to say that Oxford, and possibly Collins, are the best of their type. I'm just glad it fits into my back pocket and does what it says on the tin, so to speak. And that's the bottom line: this is an excellent and user-friendly dictionary of synonyms and, it must be said, considerably more portable than any laptop. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Luddite who thinks we should all revert back to pencil and pad or even ink and parchment. No, that would be silly. It's about keeping technology in perspective. So with that in mind...
Feeling pretentious, precocious or obnoxious? Hey, a thesaurus can help...provided you understand the rules, which boil down to nothing more than good old common sense, and a feel for the material at hand. But if you do happen to get carried away, well, you may just find yourself unwittingly dropped flat on your arse without mercy, so be careful what you wish for. And how you articulate it.
Try it, though. That's what I'm really saying. If you love the language but need, on occasion, to express yourself with a bit more imagination or clarity, then this is the way to go. Once you get used to using it you'll never look back.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
NOTE: A (paperback) thesaurus was used in the creation of this review.