Books: The Word

In the first five weeks after its publication, the Random House Dictionary of the English Language (TIME, Sept. 30) sold more than 250,000 copies, began to appear on the bestseller lists, and is still going at a lively clip. At a time when the bestsellers tend to be largely composed of sexy stuff, this is indeed a phenomenal showing.

The explanation is relatively simple. For one thing, Random House’s dictionary is a bargain: $25 per copy, as against $47.50 for the nearest competitors (Funk & Wagnall’s, Webster’s Third International). For another, the need for a new big dictionary definitely existed. Webster’s was last updated five years ago; other dictionaries go as far back, unrevised though reissued, to 1913. For a third, Random House has dropped the word count of big dictionaries to 260,000 from an average of 400,000. Thus it may qualify as the first heavyweight dictionary truly designed for ordinary definition seekers. And beyond that, it is the first dictionary that has had Bennett Cerf, board chairman of Random House and senior constellation of the longtime TV show What’s My Line, promoting it all across the country.