Webster's New Encyclopedic Dictionary

This dictionary's outstanding feature is a section of new words and new senses of common terms which provides the date of first recorded use: e.g. alternative medicine (1977), chronic fatigue syndrome, (1986), many Internet-related terms such as e-mail (1982) and cookie as a small computer file rather than a sweet, duh, (1974), and soccer mom (1987). The eight-pound volume is said to include some 330,000 definitions and 1,000-plus illustrations. It lacks thumb tabs. The publisher is a subsidiary of Merriam-Webster Inc. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)