Katzner...but treat it like a baby!
As far as content goes, the best dictionary is the Kenneth Katzner one (the red one.) Really nails the definitions, esp. all the multiple definitions of words. But, its glaring flaw is the quality of the book itself. I'm on my third copy. The pages start falling out after a few months. If you get it (and you should), be careful with the thing.
Mark T
Re: Best Russian Dictionary?
Funny, I'm having the same issue with my Pocket Oxford Russian Dictionary. The pages are falling out! I don't remember that happening with any of my plain old English dictionaries. Anyone here in the publishing industry?
Re: Best Russian Dictionary?
Here is another vote of Katzner, highly recommended by my tutor, I get a lot of usage out of it. It would be nice to find a hard cover version but I don't think it exists. Save some money and get yourself a used copy on amazon. For a pocket dictionary I used the one by Langenscheidt (with yellow cover). It got me through 3 months in Russia.