Are you the sort of person who likes reading etymologies in dictionaries? Do you enjoy it when an etymology points you to a similar word in French or Latin or German, and you suddenly make a connection to a broader meaning or concept?
When this book came out, I'm sure it was quite important if not groundbreaking. Now, as other reviews have noted, the scholarship is dated. Experts will be aware of the shortcomings and might still be able to use it as a reference.
But for "word nerds," it's a fun book with a broad scope. If you're an amateur etymologist who just wonders why some words in different languages seem similar, but others aren't, this book can be an entertaining reference. It can also give some intriguing insights into the way languages group meanings and the way larger underlying concepts fit together. When you realize that a word in English is derived from root X, but the German word is from root Y with a different meaning, and the Spanish word is from root Z with yet another meaning, it often brings into relief subtle differences between how the supposedly "equivalent" words are used in the various languages. Modern words often carry very old connotations along with them, and this book can help illuminate them.
There has been some talk in the past few decades even in broader culture (not just in linguistics) about underlying metaphors and bigger concepts that help to create the structure of language. From a historical standpoint, this book is a terrific overview that can support and illuminate that idea.
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