Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists [Hardcover]

James Geary (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 2, 2007 | ISBN-10: 1596912529 | ISBN-13: 978-1596912526 | Edition: First Edition

Bestselling expert James Geary's enlightening, entertaining compendium of wit and wisdom, from Sun Tzu to Desmond Tutu--and 350 aphorists in between.
 
Both an expert and a collector, James Geary has devoted his life to aphorisms--and the last few years to organizing, indexing, and even translating them. The result is Geary's Guide, featuring classic writers like Voltaire, Twain, Shakespeare, and Nietzsche, but also more surprising figures, such as Woody Allen, Muhammad Ali, Emily Dickinson, and Mae West. Some of the aphorists appear in English for the first time. But it is more than just a conventional anthology. It is also an encyclopedia, containing brief biographies of each author in addition to a selection of his or her aphorisms. The book is a field guide, too, with aphorists organized into eight different "species," such as Comics, Critics & Satirists; Icons & Iconoclasts; and Painters & Poets. The book's two indexes--by author and by subject--make it easily searchable, while its unique organizational structure and Geary's lively biographical entries make it different from all previous reference works.
 
Geary's Guide is eminently suitable for browsing or for sustained reading. A comprehensive guide to our most intimate, idiosyncratic literary form, the book is an indispensable tool for writers and public speakers as well as essential reading for all language lovers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“…a wonderful breviary of wisdom, insight and cynicism, and one that will immediately find a place at many bedsides…there are pleasures and surprises galore.”-Washington Post

“An agreeable thing to have in your lap.”—Dwight Garner

“Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists is a rich, well-edited compendium, which is at once a feast, a frolic, a thought-kit and a treasure trove. A book to relish and to keep close.”—John Lahr, New Yorker
 
“A masterful compilation from a man adept at taking the pith.”—Ben Schott

 

Praise for The World in a Phrase:

“[An] entertaining love letter to the compact form.”—New York Times

 

“A reward. Geary presents several dozen coiners of pithy, memorable sayings.”—Washington Post

 

“The definitive work on aphorisms, a love letter–cum–memoir disguised as a reference book.”—Publishers Weekly

About the Author

James Geary is the author of The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism and The Body Electric: An Anatomy of the New Bionic Senses. He lives in London with his wife and three children. His Web site is www.jamesgeary.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; First Edition edition (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596912529
• ISBN-13: 978-1596912526
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #541,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Geary is the author of 'I Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How It Shapes the Way We See the World' as well as the New York Times best-selling 'The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism' and 'Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists'.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-buy for writers and a great book for all readers October 3, 2007

By Susanna Hutcheson TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

As a writer, I love and use aphorisms all the time. They add to your writing and help the reader understand and appreciate what you write. An aphorism is a short, witty, philosophical saying. Here are a couple of examples:

When I am shaving in the morning and I behold my rapidly receding hairline--a modest curl rushing towards the crown of my head like some follicular riptide--I think of Jean Cocteau and his quip: "Mirrors would do well to reflect a little more before sending back images."

"Sex without love is an empty gesture. But as empty gestures go, it is one of the best."

I find using aphorisms fun. I also find they give my writing wit and humor, which my readers enjoy.

This is a comprehensive guide to aphorisms and is a wonderful tool for writers and public speakers as well as must-have reading for all language lovers.

You'll find aphorisms from such notables as Sun Tzu and Desmond Tutu. I think there are around 400 or so aphorisms in the book.

When I started stocking my writing library many years ago, one of the main books recommended to me was a good book of aphorisms. So I will pass that recommendation on. And this would be a great book to fill that bill.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must - have book for aphorism- lovers October 20, 2007

By Shalom Freedman HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Unlike most of the anthologies of aphorisms and wise- sayings that I know this one is not primarily classified by subject , but rather by author. Geary provides a very useful biographical sketch of each other and a few or as much as a couple of dozen of their aphorisms.
He classifies the authors by their professions or backgrounds: e.g. "Comics, Critics and Satirists," "Icons and Iconoclasts," "Philosophers and Theorists".
The author claims that this is the largest book of aphorisms there is in English. It certainly does contain many aphorists I had not known of. There is a biographical sketch for each aphorist and samples of their work.
Geary has his own list of qualities for determining whether a saying or sentence is an aphorism.
"It must be brief. It must be definitive. It must be personal -- that's the difference between an aphorism and a proverb. It must be philosophical -- that's the difference between an aphorism and a platitude, which is not philosophical," "And the fifth law is it must have a twist. And that can be either a linguistic twist or a psychological twist or even a twist in logic that somehow flips the reader into a totally unexpected place."
Like other considerable collections of aphorisms i.e. 'The Viking Book of Aphorisms ed. by W.H. Auden and L. Kronenberger or the 'Oxford Book of Aphorisms ed. John Gross- this book provides a vast amount of material for 'thought' i.e. Aphorisms cannot really be read consecutively and gobbled up quickly one after the other. They make their initial impressions but then we often want to ponder whether they are really 'true' or not for us. 'One man's aphorism may well be another's pretentious and erroneous generalization'
What does seem unquestionable is that anyone who really takes interest in the form, who just happens to love aphorisms( as I do) will want to have this volume to add to their collection.
'Once you have read one book of aphorisms, you haven't read them all'.
The Aphorism is a quick- fix of wisdom. But it also can be so profound that it stays with the person as guiding principle of life. It can too provide fundamental understanding of a subject.
In other words "The reader of good aphorisms profits doubly. He gains both in delight and in wisdom"
Whether cold and cynical LaRouchefoucaud , violent and hysterically suprising Nietzsche, profound and serene Pascal, rough- and tumble common- sensical Eric Hoffer, or supremely paradoxical and elusive Kafka, each aphorist has a tone and a flavor of his own.
This collection was put together after vast study of the subject and brings before the reader many new aphorists of real quality.
While it is doubtful that any reader will encompass this work cover to cover, it is clear "It is better to read a part of a good book, than not to read it at all."

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource of aphorisms November 7, 2007

By Daniel T. Earl

Format:Hardcover

"Another book of quotes?" I groaned as I perused James Geary's book. Frankly, while it may have a lot of quotes, it is a superb resource for aphorisms, lumped by author and cross referenced by related topics. While there are familiar ones, there are aphorists of less renown. Useful as a reference, it also makes for some fun reading.

While generally laid out well, the choice of chapters and groupings were somewhat novel (read: less than intuitive), it is a helpful addendum for authors or those in search of just the right aphorism to color their work.