This book addresses the often-overlooked breadth (coverage) aspect of computational semantic lexicons, complementing existing works that focus primarily on depth (content). It presents a comprehensive approach to both content and coverage, tackling issues not yet implemented in systems, such as the application time of lexical rules and contrasting lexical rules with lexical underspecification. The book represents major approaches in computational semantics, including Wordnet, CyC, Mikrokosmos, and Generative Lexicon, drawing from diverse fields like linguistics, psycholinguistics, cognitive science, computer science, artificial intelligence, knowledge representation, statistics, and natural language processing. It serves as a thorough introduction to the state of the art in computational semantic lexicons as of the late 1990s.

The book is positioned as a foundational text, offering a unique dual focus on both the content and coverage of semantic lexicons, an area previously underserved in computational linguistics literature. Its comprehensive approach, integrating diverse academic fields, suggests it would be valuable for researchers and students seeking a thorough understanding of lexicon construction and application. The inclusion of specific systems like Wordnet and Generative Lexicon, alongside discussions on novel implementation challenges, marks it as a significant contribution to the field during its publication era.