What do you think?


The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary
""Wow! This book is simply amazing -- visually stunning, rich with information, and overflowing with detail... Essential for students of any of these languages, lovers of language, and any library supporting a language program or multilingual patrons."-- Library Journal (starred review of first edition)"
35,000 terms per language and 6,000 color illustrations.
Unparalleled in its scope and detail, "The Firefly Five-Language Visual Dictionary" features 6,000 color illustrations labeled with 35,000 terms in each of English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Each key word or phrase is connected to an illustration that makes identification and translation quick and accurate.
The entries have been thoroughly updated to include the newest and most relevant subjects, and they feature up-to-date images and current terminology across all five languages.
The dictionary features 17 fully indexed sections that cover an incredibly detailed range of terms, including the latest developments in:
Astronomy Earth Vegetable kingdom Animal kingdom Human being Food and kitchen House Do-it-yourself and gardening Clothing Personal adornment and articles Arts and architecture Communications and office automation Transport and machinery Energy Science Society Sports and games
Easy, fast and fun to use, "The Firefly Five-Language Visual Dictionary" is an indispensable tool for language education, school use and home reference.
35,000 terms per language and 6,000 color illustrations.
Unparalleled in its scope and detail, "The Firefly Five-Language Visual Dictionary" features 6,000 color illustrations labeled with 35,000 terms in each of English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Each key word or phrase is connected to an illustration that makes identification and translation quick and accurate.
The entries have been thoroughly updated to include the newest and most relevant subjects, and they feature up-to-date images and current terminology across all five languages.
The dictionary features 17 fully indexed sections that cover an incredibly detailed range of terms, including the latest developments in:
Astronomy Earth Vegetable kingdom Animal kingdom Human being Food and kitchen House Do-it-yourself and gardening Clothing Personal adornment and articles Arts and architecture Communications and office automation Transport and machinery Energy Science Society Sports and games
Easy, fast and fun to use, "The Firefly Five-Language Visual Dictionary" is an indispensable tool for language education, school use and home reference.
1104 pages, Hardcover
First published August 7, 2004
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 9, 2008
This is an excellent resource, I loved flipping through and seeing the words in all five languages. It is a great way to see the similarities between the languages for some words.
Very, very detailed. For example, it doesn't just give you the word for drumset, it breads down the drumset into components and gives you the word for each of those.
Hefty hardback book, it wouldn't be a good idea to try to lug this along while traveling.
Very, very detailed. For example, it doesn't just give you the word for drumset, it breads down the drumset into components and gives you the word for each of those.
Hefty hardback book, it wouldn't be a good idea to try to lug this along while traveling.
July 3, 2018
An incredible resource with a remarkable amount of time and effort put into it.
May 30, 2016
I adore this book. I borrowed it from the library, but I will own it one day. Never mind if you're not learning any other languages -- just seeing this for the English language is a treat. There are very few things left out. My mom wanted to see if they had all the specific dog breeds, and while there are several it is by no means exhaustive. That being said, there are plenty of words in here, from costumes to the animal kingdom, medical illustrations to architecture, any sport I've been able to think of (and even cricket, which I had forgotten about) to musical instruments.. this is a fun book.
One reviewer mentioned this would be good for children. I suppose the pictures might keep them amused, although that's not really the purpose and I think the point was missed there.If you're looking for a ladder, this book offers the names of 12 specific kinds of ladders -- after all, ask someone for a ladder and you might get a different thing than you're thinking of. One person's ladder may be an extension ladder when another person might be looking for a stepladder. Did your doohickey on your bicycle break when you were biking across the German countryside? Well, now when you call the bike shop you can tell them the Kettenstrebe ist kaputt. Easy peasy. You'll be back on die Straße in no time.
I could go on and on about this book, but I think you get the idea. With the exception of our friend who mistook this for a children's book the reviewers all seem to be in agreement that this is a fun little book. If you like languages, pictures, and ways of organizing words, then I would imagine you could have hours of fun with this one.
One reviewer mentioned this would be good for children. I suppose the pictures might keep them amused, although that's not really the purpose and I think the point was missed there.If you're looking for a ladder, this book offers the names of 12 specific kinds of ladders -- after all, ask someone for a ladder and you might get a different thing than you're thinking of. One person's ladder may be an extension ladder when another person might be looking for a stepladder. Did your doohickey on your bicycle break when you were biking across the German countryside? Well, now when you call the bike shop you can tell them the Kettenstrebe ist kaputt. Easy peasy. You'll be back on die Straße in no time.
I could go on and on about this book, but I think you get the idea. With the exception of our friend who mistook this for a children's book the reviewers all seem to be in agreement that this is a fun little book. If you like languages, pictures, and ways of organizing words, then I would imagine you could have hours of fun with this one.
Read
November 20, 2016Corbeil, J. (2005). The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary English, Spanish, French, German, Italian. Ontario: Firefly.
Type of Reference: Dictionary
Call Number: REF 423 COR
Content/Scope: This reference has more than 6,000 detailed,colored images and 35,000 terms in the 5 languages. This is a very informative resource for those interested in learning or understanding another language.
Accuracy/Authority/Bias: Firefly is well-known for nonfiction publications for over 30 years. Children's reference books is one of their focus areas.
Arrangement/Presentation: Entries are organized by subject and theme. The themes have color coded tabs for easy access. Each image has the word or phrase in all 5 languages. Beyond the organized themes, there are 5 indexes-one for each language.
Relation to other works: The detail and depth of the entries in this resource are like no other. the five languages in one resource is a must for those in a multilingual environment.
Accessibility/Diversity: This resource is for the language learner for their own language or a second language or more. The detailed images reach the visual learner. The linguistic learner has a vast amount of knowledge with this resource. The themes bring in the various fields, concepts, and images for each entry to reach the diverse learners.
Cost: $49.95
Professional Review: Chylinski, M. (2005). The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary English, Spanish, French, German, Italian. Library Journal 130(3), 158.
Type of Reference: Dictionary
Call Number: REF 423 COR
Content/Scope: This reference has more than 6,000 detailed,colored images and 35,000 terms in the 5 languages. This is a very informative resource for those interested in learning or understanding another language.
Accuracy/Authority/Bias: Firefly is well-known for nonfiction publications for over 30 years. Children's reference books is one of their focus areas.
Arrangement/Presentation: Entries are organized by subject and theme. The themes have color coded tabs for easy access. Each image has the word or phrase in all 5 languages. Beyond the organized themes, there are 5 indexes-one for each language.
Relation to other works: The detail and depth of the entries in this resource are like no other. the five languages in one resource is a must for those in a multilingual environment.
Accessibility/Diversity: This resource is for the language learner for their own language or a second language or more. The detailed images reach the visual learner. The linguistic learner has a vast amount of knowledge with this resource. The themes bring in the various fields, concepts, and images for each entry to reach the diverse learners.
Cost: $49.95
Professional Review: Chylinski, M. (2005). The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary English, Spanish, French, German, Italian. Library Journal 130(3), 158.
July 12, 2015
This book is amazing. To think of all the time and effort it took to render all 6000 illustrations - and 6000 is probably an underestimate, because the book is 1000 pages long - only to translate each image and all of its components into five languages, well, it simply boggles the mind. The degree of specificity is overwhelming: even fluent speakers of English / Spanish / French / German / Italian will probably never use a significant portion of terms listed in this book, as there are full pages dedicated to Renaissance-era fashions and the various types of nuclear reactors.
Two thoughts come to mind when flipping through its pages: (A) how is this book not famous? And (B), what was the break-even price on the first edition of this book? Did the publisher go bankrupt?
Two thoughts come to mind when flipping through its pages: (A) how is this book not famous? And (B), what was the break-even price on the first edition of this book? Did the publisher go bankrupt?
Want to Read
March 22, 2007This is the COOLEST book edifying in my own native language let alone the other four that I have dabbled in. Great illustrations.
November 4, 2011
辞書に事典…好きなのです。
October 26, 2013
I really like to browse through this dictionary.
February 16, 2015
Great for little kids!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews








