Harrap’s French dictionary (“le Harrap” to French students) celebrates its centenary this year with this magnificent two-volume work which has already ousted two of its rivals from my shelf.

Its pages seem quite uncluttered despite more than 425,000 references, thanks to the clear type, examples and linguistic labels. The range is impressive, from literary and technical terms to slang and regional varieties. Long entries are introduced by “entry menus” and it always seems eager to guide you quickly to le mot juste. It has a wealth of cultural references and an appendix with samples of letters and other documents, explanations of cultural allusions and useful lists.