A New Dictionary of Quotations on Historical Principles from Ancient and Modern Sources [Hardcover]

H.L. Mencken (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1352 pages
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; First Edition edition (June 27, 1942)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394400798
• ISBN-13: 978-0394400792
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.9 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,467,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Quotation Books, January 21, 2001

By 

Robert Kall "Rob Kall of Opednews.com" (Newtown, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A New Dictionary of Quotations on Historical Principles from Ancient and Modern Sources (Hardcover)

This is not a new book, but it is loaded with great quotations, and they are well documented. It is subject- rather than author organized, which makes it easier to browse by topic, in my mind, making it more useful for someone seeking quotations for writing or speaking.

As a quotation book collector (see my other reviews) owning over 400 quote books, I'd rate this one in the top five percent. When I discovered my 1942 copy in a used bookstore and realized what a treasure trove of new material it contains (lots!-- over 1300 pages of smaller type. I estimate it contains at least 30,000 quotations,) it really made my day. There are only so many really great books which are delicious treats. So many are re-packagings of older ones. This book contains just a super batch of idea nuggets, collected by one of the brightest journalistic minds of the time.

Mencken basically took his quote collection and made it into a book which would supplement the popular books of the time-- Bartlett's, Hoyt and Stevenson. His stated goals were to date all the quotes and proverbs, leave out the fluff (platitudes), and add a lot more topics.

He comments, " Some immemorial imbecilities have been added deliberately , on the ground that it is just as interesting to note how foolish men have been as to note how wise they have been."

Now maybe it's just my read of him, but Mencken's choices reflect his acerbic wit.

I've been working too long on putting my own quotation book together, subject by subject (600+ done so far) and this is one book I always check out for both the unusual and unique thought and the most familiar ones, which he seems to nail very often. As a matter of fact, it is remarkable how often he does this.

It's been around along time, and so, unless it has been seriously updated, which I doubt, it is mostly good for more classic quotes. But it is excellent, and always a fun browse.

Since it's about the same price as the Burton Stevenson Home Book of Quotations, also called the MacMillan book of Maxims, Proverbs...... or something like that, it's not an easy choice between the two. This book spares you from some pretty sappy, bland and uninspiring stuff you'll find in the massive Stevenson book. But the Stevenson book is soooo much bigger that I'd probably pick it first, over just about any other quotation book. This book is certainly among the top ten though, for someone who wants a comprehensive quotation book library.

The day after the W inauguration, here's a line, from this book from Jefferson, That government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part." Thomas Jefferson: Letter to H.D. Tiffin, 1807

Note the source and date. These are some of the nice features of this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book for a Desert Island, July 26, 2010

By 

AA Dude "AAD" (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A New Dictionary of Quotations on Historical Principles from Ancient and Modern Sources (Hardcover)

I now own six copies of this book, though two are on the way in the mail from Amazon. I like to give them as presents or loan them out. One I picked up at a library sale for $1. I first discovered it some 35 or more years ago. Both of the first two reviewers understate its quality. Just to add a bit about Mencken's methods, he started the collection of quotes by writing down good ones on small pieces of paper and then put each in a jar. This was a process that took decades and came from his own reading, research and letters. I consider this book the single most contributing factor in my education, knowledge, insight, and if I may humbly add, any wisdom I may have acquired. That's why if I were to be marooned on a desert island, this is an easy choice for a single book to take. The best part is that it has pages and pages on most people's favorite subjects such as men, women, alcohol and drinking, love, laughter, happiness, historical figures from all areas such as science, politics, music, art, religion, philosophy, and that great favorite of all quote books, Shakespeare. Sometimes when I am struggling with life or with something in particular, I pick up the book and look up the issue or issues I am dealing with. Inevitably, I find something that makes me happier because of perspective or because I find that my thoughts are reflected in those of others even from centuries past. Or I find some added insight I had not considered. Though Mencken was a vitriolic critic of organized religion, especially Christianity, his open mind and own knowledge of the Bible is shown in the many quotations from it. While not my favorite quote, a Chinese proverb is probably the one I have told the most to other people, "Don't stand when you can sit and don't sit when you can lie down." The one critic is right in that there is nothing from after 1942. It's disappointing not to hear from such sages as Ashley Roachclip, Redd Foxx (Fred Sanford), later Gandhi, participants in the Cold War, modern demagogues, and writers, and any number of social critics like himself. Unfortunately, Mencken had a massive stroke in 1947 and died 10 years later or he may have updated this as he did his study of the English Language, which is still considered the best of its kind by scholars. The only thing that surpasses Mencken are some of the reviews on Amazon and comments on YouTube.

3 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rather dull, July 1, 1999

By 

Chris Green ([e-mail]) (Edgewood Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A New Dictionary of Quotations on Historical Principles from Ancient and Modern Sources (Hardcover)

I have a much better time looking through some of the quote pages on the internet than through this book. It contains some good quotes but they are buried in a mass of really commonplace utterances.