English-Russian, Russian-English Dictionary

This dictionary is the best for American students because it's based on American English. Other dictionaries are based on British English (which means that they include some words American students don't use, and leave out some idiomatic expressions that American students do use). What I really like about this dictionary is as follows:
1) It gives lots of good examples
2) It includes a number of phrases along with the entry word
3) All the words in the English-Russian section can be found in the Russian-English section, and vice versa
4) It has every word you'll need to learn in your first 5 or 6 years of Russian (it even has English words I didn't know).
Although it's paperbound, by the time the book wears out, the student of Russian is advanced enough for a good Russian-Russian dictionary.

Great dictionary a lot of words and descriptions.
Weak side - an absence of transcriptions for English words.
Good choice to learn Russian for English speaking people but not vice versa.

I am learning to speak Russian on my own and through the help of my wife. I have been looking for a dictionary that I can use to help my wife with her English, and me with my Russian, and this one is IT! I am suprised by the amount of words it contains and that everything is written in American English. It really helps me and my wife understand each other's languages so much better. I would recommend this book to anyone learning Russian as a must have and to anyone who speaks Russian and lives in the US!

I used mine so much, it's literally in 3 pieces now! Perfect for American students of Russian and Russians who want to learn American English. I couldn't give it 5 stars because there are some words (especially from a woman's health perspective) that simply need to be added if it is to be the ideal resource for a person living abroad. Granted, these words weren't found in any other English-Russian dictionary, either, but it would help to finally make a Russian-English dictionary that's contents are more focused on daily life and than on the Cold War...

This dictionary by Kenneth Katzner has become a classic. It contains two sections: the English-Russian part and Russian-English part, with each half being a cross-reference mirror of its the other. The organization of entries is intuitive and words are easy to find. When a word can have more than one contextual meaning, those are listed separately under the same entry and clearly labeled. E.g. under the entry "discharge" there are several subentries with different meanings of this word: 1. unload 2. release 3. dismiss from a job 4. pay off, as debt, etc, each with its own correct equivalent in Russian.

The binding quality of the paperback edition that I own has been very good. Other readers have remarked on the poor binding quality of the hardback version (which is somewhat surprising).

The strongest point of Katzner's dictionary is the quality of its content. The precision of translations, and the up-to-date choice of words, are unparalleled. In my ten years of using this book, I have been able to find only maybe two or three sloppily or incorrectly translated entries. None of the current Russian- or British-based dictionaries can rival this linguistic craftsmanship. If I wanted to go nit-picking, I could argue that the word "poganka" is really better translated as the "deadly amanita" rather than the "toadstool" (the translation offered by the dictionary), but such technicalities aside, I am yet to find a better and clearer compiled dictionary, particularly for American based speakers. The next edition is long overdue, but for now this book remains the leader in its class.