Discussion:
I've always been fond of Ol' Giles. As students in the 1960s we used Mathews' but after hearing Professor Helmut Wilhelm say good words about Giles' Dictionary, I kept my eye out for one. Finally, about twenty years later, in Taipei in February 1987, I discovered it'd been reprinted and bought a copy without thinking twice. Since then, I grab this single volume first when I want some kind of English handle on a word, especially a bisyllabic word that I think might have been in use in literary Chinese in the 19th century, and perhaps neglected or forgotten in the 20th. Or, if I am looking for a word where the character I have represents a syllable other than the first. Mathews' Dictionary doesn't list as many of these. This is particularily applicable to idiomatic phrases--- of pre-20th century, I should emphasize. Giles has more single characters, too, 10,926 compared to Mathews' 7,785.
But for the past couple years, since acquiring the Grand Ricci, my use of Ol' Giles has declined. Also, the Kangorin covers about the same ground, is up-to-date, and easier to hold. If I'm looking for a bisyllabic word, since I don't have much problem reading the Japanese anymore, my impulse is to reach out for the Kangorin 漢語林 before anything else. This is also true if I need to know the Japanese readings.