The Devil's Dictionary

by Ambrose Bierce

Overview

Born in Ohio in 1842, journalist, short-story writer and critic Ambrose Bierce developed into one of this country's most celebrated and cynical wits - a merciless "American Swift" whose literary barbs were aimed at folly, self-delusion, politics, business, religion, literature and the arts. In this splendid "dictionary" of epigrams, essays, verses and vignettes, you'll find over 1,000 pointed definitions, e.g. Congratulation ("The civility of envy"), Coward ("One who in a perilous emergency thinks with his legs") and Historian ("A broad-gauge gossip"). Anyone who likes to laugh will love The Devil's Dictionary. Anyone looking for a bon mot to enliven their next speech, paper or conversation will have a field day thumbing through what H. L. Mencken called "some of the most gorgeous witticisms in the English language."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781495352737
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	01/01/1911
Pages:	154
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.33(d)

About the Author

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.

Editorial Reviews

This enjoyable abridgment is an updated version of a classic lexicon by one of the 19th century's most famous satirists. Originally published between 1881 and 1886 as a regular feature in the Wasp, a San Francisco journal, and again in 1904 in Hearst papers, Bierce's 700 definitions are just as humorous, witty, and satiric today as they were then. They mock social, professional, and religious conventions while also providing a small glimpse into late 19th-century society. Entries include, for example, "Apologize" ("To lay the foundation for a future offence"); "Beggar" ("One who has relied on the assistance of his friends"); and "Saint" ("A dead sinner revised and edited"). Illustrations by satiric cartoonist Steadman complement the text, while Angus Calder's (The People's War) introduction provides basic biographical data on Bierce's life and works and a brief bibliography. Recommended for public and academic libraries.-Laurie Selwyn, Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Forget the Summer of Love. Bierce is the real voice of San Francisco—mordant, worldly, skeptical, and witty.
—The Hungry Mind Review

Dana Gioia

"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

From the Publisher

"Though Bierce was known (and admired) for his mean streak, Bendis's takes on the writer soften his angry edges, disarming the loaded weapon of Bierce's prose."

Chronogram