Problems in Lexicography is an essential, classic work of practical lexicography (the practice of writing dictionaries) and meta-lexicography. Originally published over sixty years ago, it was based on the proceedings of the Indiana University Conference on Lexicography, held November 11–12, 1960. It set a standard that still holds today, three generations later.

This critical and historical edition, brilliantly researched and presented by Michael Adams, explores the enduring legacy of this classic work and promises to extend its life further into the twenty-first century. Problems in Lexicography: A Critical / Historical Edition amply demonstrates that this unique work is a book of historical significance and a worthy prologue to lexicography's present.

Preface
Part One: Introduction
1. A Conference, a Book, and Their Context
2. Contents
3. Reception
4. Text
5. Contributors
6. Notes
Part Two: Problems in Lexicography
1. The Preparation of Dictionaries I: Theoretical Considerations
A Typological Classification of Dictionaries on the Basis of Distinctive Features, by Yakov Malkiel
Lexicographical Definition in Descriptive Semantics, by Uriel Weinreich
What Belongs in the Bilingual Dictionary?, by Mary Haas
Some Notes on Bilingual Lexicography, by Richard S. Harrell and Ann M. Driscoll
Recommendations on the Selection of Entries for a Bilingual Dictionary, by Donald C. Swanson
Comments, by Dean Stoddard Worth
2. Structural Linguistics and the Preparation of Dictionaries
The Relation of Lexicon and Grammar, by H. A. Gleason, Jr.
Lexicography and Grammar, by Henry M. Hoenigswald
Structural Linguistics and Bilingual Dictionaries, by Kemp Malone
Lexicographical Treatment of Folk Taxonomies, by Harold C. Conklin
Comments, by James Sledd
3. The Preparation of Dictionaries II: Practical Considerations
Selection and Presentation of Ready Equivalents in a Translation Dictionary, by Samuel E. Martin
Problems in Editing Commercial Monolingual Dictionaries, by C. L. Barnhart
Use and Preparation of Specialized Glossaries, by Meredith F. Burrill and Edwin Bonsack, Jr.
Meaning Discrimination in Bilingual Dictionaries, by James E. Iannucci
The Labeling of National and Regional Variation in Popular Dictionaries, by Allen Walker Read
Comments, by William Gedney
4. Lexicographical Problems in Specific Languages
Lexicographical Problems in Pashto, by O. L. Chavarría-Aguilar and Herbert Penzl
Problems in Modern Greek Lexicography, by Henry and Renée Kahane
Problems of Turkish Lexicography, by Andreas Tietze
Comments, by William S. Cornyn
5. Appendices
Summary Report, by Fred D. Householder
Program of the Conference
Participants in the Conference
References
Index