Discussion:
If you know a little French and have access to a handy French-English dictionary, such as the Pocket Oxford Hachette French Dictionary, I believe this Chinese-French dictionary is currently the best there is for finding the meanings of literary Chinese words, be they monosyllabic zi 字 or multisyllabic ci 辭. I still need to carefully compare it to the top-of-the-line Chinese-Chinese or Japanese Kanwa dictionaries, but if my initial impression is anything to go by, the Grand Ricci is generally their equal. Occassionally, I've not found a word in the Grand Ricci which I was able to find in the Big Morohashi or the Hanyu Da Cidian.
I estimate I use 'the Grand Ricci' about once for every twenty times I consult a Chinese-Chinese dictionary, such as the Jiaobu Guoyucidian 育部國語辭典, available online, and about half as often as I consult a Kanwa dictionary, such as the Kangorin 漢語林 or the big Morohashi.
The Grand Ricci comes in seven large well-bound volumes plus a paperback index. I paid around $800 for it through Amazon, including shipping from France, a reasonable price these days for a set of hardbound books of this physical quality.