The book sketches the history and technical apparatus of dictionary writing, in detail Ruth Klappen-bach's Woerterbuch der deutschen Gegenwartssprache. Berlin: Akademieverlag 1956, a loner at its time and setting the pattern for the many other German dictionaries to come. The book's main chapters are: structure of the single dictionary entry; meaning variants; validations of style; grammatical specifications; quotes; pronunciation; etymologies.

Assisted by: Jan F. Brand