As the subtitle of this volume suggests, The Talk of Washington is, indeed, an 'uncommon dictionary.' It is also an unconventional dictionary, somewhat irreverent at times and certainly distanced in perspective from the Washington Insider who tends to look at the rest of us from the wrong end of the telescope. Irreverent though it may be, The Talk of Washington is a useful reference work for our time, one that provides a richly-hued snapshot of political life during the Reagan years. The book should appeal to multiple audiences: Washington Insiders and Real People, power-brokers and journalists, government employees and those in the private sector, scholars and diplomats, novelists and social activists.