Customer Reviews

The Devil's Dictionary

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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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The Bloomsbury edition illustrated by Ralph Steadman is ABRIDGED. Do not purchase unless you are buying it for the drawings.

This is a deliciously wicked book full or wicked little truths. Delectable. Like petit fours, a delicious bit here and there to satisfy your wicked whims. :) Reading this is a delightful experience.

Also known as "The Cynic's Workbook" this collection is classic and belongs in any library. Ambrose Bierce, like Mark Twain and few other of his contempories, had a biting wit that always left a mark.
Here is just a taste of his humor.

Philosophy: A route of many roads leading from nowhere to nothing.

Eulogy. Praise of a person who has either the advantages of wealth and power, or the consideration to be dead.

The large font is a plus in this book. Good illustrations.

Good good stuff.

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If you, from time-to-time, need a little whimsy in your day; a little humor to add a smile when else it would not shine, then open to any page and read at will. You will be rewarded with a chuckle and perhaps a laugh and perhaps a new perspective on the word you just learned.

If you think you have a potent vocabulary, read this book; because you will get the most from it. These definitions, while not literal, are in fact most accurate and as it seems, timeless.

It must have been a great privilege to know and converse with such a man as Ambrose Bierce.

For the self-confessed cynic, this book is a must-have. It will make you laugh, raise your spirits, and even inspire you. Your teenager will get a huge kick out of it. This is a book made for reading out loud. You'll be really glad to have a hard copy to pick up from time to time, for a long time.

It was an excellent read and I could not put it down. Very tantalizing for anyone who prefers to be pulled into a story.

Well worth having in your personal collection -- very entertaining. :)

Sharp-wittewd and pointed "defitions" of common day words from the 1800's that still hold humor and truth.