Macmillan explains the decision to stop printing its dictionary

The author posits that in the rapidly evolving world of information, the digital medium is the best platform for a dictionary. Are you clapping or cringing?

But dictionaries are different from other books like maps and encyclopedias. Unlike novels or newspapers, they are things you consult (while you’re doing something else) rather than things you read. For any kind of reference enquiry, the book really can be improved upon, and at Macmillan, we’ve taken the decision to phase out printed dictionaries and focus on our rich and expanding collection of digital resources.

The digital medium is the best platform for a dictionary. One of its advantages is that we can now provide all kinds of supplementary resources, such as our blog. The blog covers a huge range of issues, from language change and words in the news, via innovations in language technology or unexpected shifts in grammar, to ideas for teaching English and guidance on common errors.

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