The Devil's Dictionary
by Ambrose Bierce, Roy Morris
A satiric lexicon first published as "The Cynic's Word Book" in 1906, and later reissued under the author's preferred titled in 1911. Ambrose Bierce was one of the most celebrated reporters of his era and built his literary reputation partly on this work.
Paperback
English
Brand New
Publisher Description
History, n. an account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools. Marriage, n. The state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all two. Self-Esteem, n. An erroneous appraisement. These caustic aphorisms, collected in The Devil's Dictionary, helped earn Ambrose Biercethe epithets Bitter Bierce, the Devil's Lexicographer, and the Wickedest Man in San Francisco. First published as The Cynic's Word Book (1906) and later reissued under its preferred name in 1911, Bierce's notorious collection of barbed definitions forciblycontradicts Samuel Johnson's earlier definition of a lexicographer as a harmless drudge. There was nothing harmless about Ambrose Bierce, and the words he shaped into verbal pitchforks a century ago--with or without the devil's help--can still draw blood today.
Author Biography
Roy Morris, Jr., is the editor of America's Civil War and the author of Ambrose Bierce: Alone in Bad Company and Sheridan: The Life and Wars of General Phil Sheridan. He lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Review
"An enjoyable work, fun to read as well as thought-provoking....Just because the dictionary is 90 years old doesn't make it any less apropos for modern readers."--Naples Daily News
Promotional
Sharp, scathing, hilarious, surprising, the aphorisms collected here rival Twain at his best. The words Bierce shaped into verbal pitchforks a century ago--with or without the devil's help--can still draw blood today. Handsomely bound, with a substantial new introduction by Bierce biographer Roy Morris.
Long Description
History, n. an account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools. Marriage, n. The state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all two. Self-Esteem, n. An erroneous appraisement. These caustic aphorisms, collected in The Devil's Dictionary, helped earn Ambrose Bierce
the epithets Bitter Bierce, the Devil's Lexicographer, and the Wickedest Man in San Francisco. First published as The Cynic's Word Book (1906) and later reissued under its preferred name in 1911, Bierce's notorious collection of barbed definitions forcibly contradicts Samuel Johnson's earlier definition of a lexicographer as a harmless drudge. There was
nothing harmless about Ambrose Bierce, and the words he shaped into verbal pitchforks a century ago--with or without the devil's help--can still draw blood today.
Review Text
"An enjoyable work, fun to read as well as thought-provoking....Just because the dictionary is 90 years old doesn't make it any less apropos for modern readers."--Naples Daily News
Review Quote
"An enjoyable work, fun to read as well as thought-provoking....Justbecause the dictionary is 90 years old doesn't make it any less apropos formodern readers."--Naples Daily News
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