Use the Right Word: Modern Guide to Synonyms and Related Words

The book jacket describes, better than I can, what you'll find inside: "Over 1,000 essays that define, compare, and contrast 6,000 synonyms and related words." These essays do exactly that: they tell us the shades of meaning for related words so we may chose the appropriate one. While the number of words included is only about 6,000 this book is the best tool for helping you select the right word. Highly recommended.