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(*) The only Spanish grammar you will ever need. Period. This book has been a standard reference for years. It is a model example of what a grammar reference book should be. The contents are exhaustive and complete; explanations are precise and to the pont, yet written in a way that makes them accessible to students; there are sufficient examples for any topic or construction in question, and each example is listed with a side-by-side translation into English. The book deals with, and accounts for, numerous, subtle differences between Spanish and Latin-American usage and, where necessary, goes even more in-depth (e.g., Argentinian uses of vos and its related, regional verb forms). As far as Spanish grammars for English-language speakers go, this is a definitive reference.

This is a different kind of grammar. Unlike the one listed above, Routledge grammar is the only book with a functional grammar approach. That means that, rather than going by categories (e.g., verb tenses, prepositions, irregular plurals, etc.), it focuses on a single communicative function (e.g., greetings, making requests, or expressing doubt) and provides all grammatical constructions useful in this context. Students find this approach confusing, since the explanations are minimal. The one time I used it as a required  book (alongside its companion exercise workbook) for a remedial "grammar review" course (taught at a large State U.) it was a disaster.

But, while it may not be a good reference book for students, it is very helpful for anyone teaching Spanish, since it lists all expressions that can be used to communicate something (e.g., impatience or surprise) in one place. Recommended only for instructors and advanced students planning on teaching Spanish.

(*) Oxford (listed below) is bigger; but this one is by far handier, friendlier, better laid-out, and has enough breadth to cover most contemporary, everyday Spanish needs (e.g., magazine articles, letters, radio programs, etc.). It comes a little short for a serious student of literature who may need older, literary vocab resource (e.g., to read 19th century lit or earlier), where Oxford would be your best bet.

NOTE: Either OSD or Harper Collins (above) will do; there is no need for both. This one is more extensive; a better choice for students who need to read older literary texts, but bulkier, and more difficult to handle than HC above.

(*) MY TOP PICK IN MONOLINGUAL DICTIONARIES CATEGORY

Every intermediate and advanced student of Spanish, at some point, needs to add a monolingual dictionary to their basic arsenal of reference books, i.e., a dictionary that defines words in Spanish, without the need for translation into other languages.

A good, monolingual dictionary is so much more than just that: yes, it explains meanings of words, but it also provides students with extensive usage examples, addresses common dilemmas (e.g., the word listo to be used with SER or ESTAR?), and often provides synonyms of words (listo = inteligente).

There are dozens of monolingual dictionaries available and, unfortunately, most are really bad, virtually useless, and often quite expensive on top of that; given the popularity of Spanish as a second or foreign language in the US and worldwide, it is surprising that there are indeed so few titles that are actually good. Among those, several are quite expensive or heavy, and awkward to use, however. The relatively new (2005) Diccionario del estudiante published as a result of a joint effort of Real Academia Española and Santillana publishing house is, at the moment (2007), the unquestionable king of the hill in this category. It is reasonably priced, big enough, so it contains most the entries that intermediate or advanced students of Spanish language and literature may need, and it is also handy enough to be easily browsed. 

The range of vocabulary covered is extensive and individual entries are very well and clearly designed; each word is accessibly explained using fairly basic vocabulary (so even intermediate students will understand the definitions), and each definition is accompanied by well thought-out usage examples. The listing of words uses the so-called MODERN SORT, where ll/rr are not treated as a separate letter entry, but fit within the letter l and r, respectively. Unlike so many other, poorly designed dictionaries, this one lists the necessary syntactic information for each word, including prepositional extensions of verbs (Esto no depende de mí.), and adjectives (dependiente de), and often includes common collocations for nouns (conclusión: llegar a). Prepositional extensions are one of the most difficult aspects of vocabulary, since they are arbitrary and unpredictable, and therefore are impossible to guess even for fairly advanced students. For example, Eng. to look for does not translate into Span. *buscar por - buscar uses no prepositional extension in Spanish. Additionally, prepositional extensions often change between verbs other parts of speech derived from them. This dictionary has it covered.

One of this dictionary's unique features is the inclusion of pronunciation key for words that may cause problems for learners and native speakers alike. Most dictionaries assume that Spanish words are pronounced the way they are spelled; but this rule does not hold true for many recently imported words of foreign origin: for example, handicap, although still spelled in Spanish with an h, is pronounced as [jandicap] and not as [andicap], which this dictionary points out. It also indicates that the word is a recently imported Anglicism, and it provides better alternatives for each of its several meanings. 

IN SUMMARY: The best single-volume monolingual dictionary on the market today ('07). An absolute, essential must for any serious student of Spanish, and with its clear, two-color, easy-to-read layout, a real pleasure to use. And it is available from Amazon (or your local B&N / Borders) so there is no need to import it from Spain. Oh, and unlike many others in this category, it's actually affordable for an average student...

A much smaller, more portable companion to the more complete version listed above. This one is cheap, light, and fits in a backpack. Not as many handy usage examples or usage advice as its bigger brother, but a definite winner and a bargain for anyone who needs to tote around a dictionary.

CLARIFICATION: There are two different editions of María Moliner: a complete two-volume edition and this, abridged one-volume version. Until recently, this one-volume book was probably the best monolingual  diccionary of Spanish on the market. But recently is has been upstaged (and quite dramatically so) by Diccionario del estudiante (Santillana/RAE) listed above (the one w/ a large, colored letter D on the cover). If you already have Moliner, don't despair - you will get a lot of good milleage out of it. If you don't, however, you should buy the Santilllana/RAE instead.

There is also a now-classic, two-volume edition of Moliner, and although over the years I have come to think of it as the definitve Spanish dictionary, recently it has started to show its venerable age. When it comes to more expensive, two-volume titles, I now prefer the more contemporary Santillana edited by Manuel Seco (see below; yellow cover).

If you need a serious monolingual reference on your bookshelf, this 2-volume dictionary is a much better choice than the two-volume Real Academia dictionary; more coverage, more examples, more up-to-date, more everything, but less expensive. I also prefer it over the venerable 2-volume María Moliner (see below), although it is admittedly a matter of personal preference.

Some people perfer this to the Santillana (edited by Manuel Seco, yellow cover above). I don't. Check out both, if you can, then decide which one fits your personal needs best.

This is a very special dictionary that requires its separate, detailed review. Amazon has managed to mangle / mis-spell the author's name on this one. It has been superseeded by Diccionario Combinatorio Práctico, which, unfortunately, is not available from Amazon in the USA (a detailed review of both is coming soon - early Sept. '07).

For English-speakers, this is a much better solution than any synonym/antonym dictionary - most of these were designed with native-speakers of Spanish in mind, and many students find themselves lost in the maze of words which are listed together as "similar" (but in reality are often stylistically and contextually different).

This book lists common words and concepts, and not only provides synonyms, but also defines each, explains it in English, provides information about proper usage context (e.g., written formal vs. colloquial, vs. vulgar usage) and, to top it all, includes good examples of using each word in context. The book does not have the breadth and scope of a typical synonym dictionary, but for most students of Spanish, even advanced, it is a great way to expand vocabulary, and improve writing skills. Until someone comes up with a Spanish version of Longman's Language Activator (and it is amazing that, as of '07, no publisher has), this is as close as it gets to this ideal for students of Spanish.