A Dictionary of American Proverbs [Hardcover]

Wolfgang Mieder (Editor), Stewart A. Kingsbury (Editor), Kelsie B. Harder (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195053990 | ISBN-13: 978-0195053999 | Publication Date: December 5, 1991 | Edition: First Edition

A Dictionary of American Proverbs is a treasury of more than 15,000 sayings, adages, and maxims commonly used in popular speech in the United States and Canada. As the first major collection of proverbs in the English language based on oral sources rather than written sources, it includes thousands of uniquely American proverbs that have never before been recorded as well as many thousands of traditional sayings that have found their way into American speech from classical, biblical, British, continental European, and American literature.
This unparalleled collection will delight the general reader as well as the specialist. Collected here are nuggets of popular wisdom on all aspects of American life: weather, agriculture, geography, travel, money, business, food, neighbors, friends, manners, government, politics, law, health, education, religion, music, song, and dance.
Field work on the Dictionary was conducted over thirty years under the direction of the Committee on Proverbial Sayings of the American Dialect Society and resulted in 15,000 records of proverbial texts which have been edited for this collection. The result is an invaluable reference for general readers and students, as well as cultural historians, folklorists, linguists, anthropologists, sociologists, and scholars of literature.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This scholarly work lists U.S. and Canadian proverbs alphabetically by key word, cross-referencing for related proverbs. Although it draws strictly from oral sources, noting the recorded distribution, the book also lists each proverb's first citation in writing along with its inclusion in other collections. Especially valuable are the variants: "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" also has "Absence makes the heart wander" and five other versions. Understandably, large sections are devoted to "man," "money," and "woman." This is an excellent, well-conceived document of a fast-changing and perhaps dying segment of our language. Recommended for reference sections.
-Kitty Chen Dean, Nassau Coll., Garden City, N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Sets new standards for understanding the oral tradition in America."--Library Journal

"This is an excellent, well-conceived document of a fast-changing and perhaps dying segment of our language. Recommended for reference sections."--Library Journal

"A very interesting work. Certainly, it will be of greatest use to researchers of language and folklore, but it lends itself to browsing as well."--RBB/Booklist

"Should be added to all public and academic library collections because of its unique sampling of spoken American proverbs."--Choice

"Fills an especially vital need in word study....A superb dictionary that should enhance the reference department of any general library. Recommended."--Reference Book Review

"Stands as an exemplary and indispensable reference work, an enjoyable and revealing cross-section of American 'folk wisdom'....Proverbs scholars throughout the world owe a debt of gratitude to its three editors, who have succeeded in bringing this mammoth undertaking to fruition."--Proverbium

"This is a mammoth, most comprehensive collection and is required reading for scholars of literature, psychology, folklore, linguistics, anthropology, and cultural history."--Come-All-Ye

"Amazing....Outstanding....This is a mammoth work which offers a variety of resources for students of literature, history, and rhetoric. It is a valuable text, carefully researched and documented."--Review and Expositor

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 736 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press; First Edition edition (December 5, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195053990
• ISBN-13: 978-0195053999
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #380,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, Detailed, and Illuminating, June 25, 2010

By 

Eric H. Roth "ESL specialist" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Dictionary of American Proverbs (Hardcover)

As a collector of proverb books, I consider this an outstanding, comprehensive, and scholarly collection. This "a dictionary" includes 689 pages of actual American proverbs and a 20-page bibliography. Impressive!

Is this dictionary as selective or reader-friendly as some more popular collections? No. You can find many smaller, more focused collections for particular niche audiences. Are you only interested in proverbs about business, from Indiana, or about dogs? Look elsewhere.

Yet this excellent reference material is a masterpiece of scholarship and invaluable resource for readers fond of American literature, American history, and American English. This masterpiece deserves to be in all American libraries, on the shelves of American English scholars, and in the homes of American writers.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dictionary Format, November 19, 2007

By 

Alan Hosp "1_ER_RN" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Dictionary of American Proverbs (Paperback)

Very much inclusive of even slight variations on a theme, with materials drawn from any recordable usage. Hard to read just for the enjoyment of reading, certainly suited to looking up a proverb you are already familiar with in order to discover it's origins. This book will soon be rendered mute simply by people looking the information up on the internet.