The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary
If we could only put aside our civil pose and say what we really thought, the world would be a lot like the one alluded to in The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary. There, a bore is a person who talks when you wish him to listen,” and happiness is an agreeable sensation arising from contemplating...
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If we could only put aside our civil pose and say what we really thought, the world would be a lot like the one alluded to in The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary. There, a bore is a person who talks when you wish him to listen,” and happiness is an agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another.” This is the most comprehensive, authoritative edition ever of Ambrose Bierce’s satiric masterpiece. It renders obsolete all other versions that have appeared in the book’s ninety-year history.A virtual onslaught of acerbic, confrontational wordplay, The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary offers some 1,600 wickedly clever definitions to the vocabulary of everyday life. Little is sacred and few are safe, for Bierce targets just about any pursuit, from matrimony to immortality, that allows our willful failings and excesses to shine forth.This new edition is based on David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi’s exhaustive investigation into the book’s writing and publishing history. All of Bierce’s known satiric definitions are here, including previously uncollected, unpublished, and alternative entries. Definitions dropped from previous editions have been restored while nearly two hundred wrongly attributed to Bierce have been excised. For dedicated Bierce readers, an introduction and notes are also included.Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary is a classic that stands alongside the best work of satirists such as Twain, Mencken, and Thurber. This unabridged edition will be celebrated by humor fans and word lovers everywhere.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780820324012 (0820324019)
ASIN: 820324019
Publish date: January 3rd 2002
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Pages no: 404
Edition language: English
Category:
Classics,
Non Fiction,
Humor,
Funny,
Comedy,
Reference,
Humanities,
Language,
Dictionaries,
Literature,
Philosophy
Reading this book came about after I learned about dailylit.com. I was browsing their selection and saw Bierce’s name. A friend had recommended his horror stories to me years ago but I’d never gotten around to reading any of them. The Devil’s Dictionary is not scary at all but satire at its best.Bie...
I recall seeing blurbs from this in email taglines and referenced in many other places throughout the years, so I figured I should finally read the whole thing, cover to cover. Although it is clever in places, it is also dated, both in language and in allusions. This may explain why it is only quo...
Although the book is great fun, perhaps not so much to a jaded 21st century mind as it must have been when the book was first published. Sorry if I sound a bit crabby compared to the glowing 5-star reviews before this one, but although witty, I just don't find this the wittiest ever, which would ha...
This little book is certainly one that must be read. If nothing else, a lot of the definitions that Bierce coined back in his day are very relevant today. There is a blend of cynicism and dark humor in the work. I don't recall now who recommended the book to me; I know it was one of my online friend...
goodreads, n. Website designed to prevent people who enjoy books from finding time to read them.review, v.i. Demonstrate, through a short essay, appreciation for one's own wit.