Customer Reviews

Random House Webster's Quotationary

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I have several quotation reference books, but this is the one that sits on my desk because it is by far my favorite. It contains a good mixture of recent, old, and ancient sayings, organized by themes. Many quotations are cross-referenced by theme, and others by similarity of structure ("Nothing succeeds like success," by Dumas, leads to "Nothing succeeds like excess" by Wilde.) There are over 20,000 quotes, meticulously referenced and often containing rich ancillary material. For instance, the famous "I'll have what she is having" is cited under the general theme of "Sex;" it notes that the author was Nora Ephron (1941--) in the film "When Sally Met Harry," 1989. Said by a woman diner to the waiter after observing Meg Ryan, at another table, acting out an orgasm.

While surfing the book I came across this quotation by Henry Kissinger, on the occasion of Nixon's nomination for president in 1968: "This man, of course, is a disaster. Now the Republican Party is a disaster. Fortunately, he can't be elected--or the whole country would be a disaster area." And this by Nixon, used frequently in reference to Kissinger: "My Jew boy," cited in Isaacson's "Kissinger: A Biography," 1992.

I'm sorry that not a single citation by Borges made the cut. At least his marvelous characterization of England and Argentina after the Falkland's war should have made it: "It was a fight of two bald men over a comb." The book also has its irritants: it contains no index of first words or fist lines. Thus, if one wants to know who said "Play it again, Sam," there is no easy way of finding out that NOBODY in Casablanca uttered those words. To find out, one must know that Casablance was written by Julius Epstein, look him up in the index, and there on page 530 you will see that it was Ilse (Ingrid Bergman) who said "Play it, Sam. Play "As Time Goes By." Finally, there is the irritant of the page numbers: instead of being centered (top or bottom) or on the outer margins of the pages, the numbers were placed in the inner margins, so that one cannot do a quick flicking of pages to find what we are looking for, but rather the book must be opened entirely to see then hidden page numbers near the center fold.

Still: the paperback edition of this thick volume is sturdy and will likely withstand rugged use. For under twenty bucks, it is a highly recommended bargain, and a useful reference book.

I have several dozen quote books in my personal library, including the usuals like Oxford and Bartlett's. Among big quote dictionaries, the Quotationary is the best. I wish it had a key word index, but even without one, I find this book more enjoyable and useful than the others. It truly is fun just to sit and read several pages at a time.

After reading dozens of quote books, I have seen ample proof that too many quote compilers spend more time copying each others' work than finding NEW material; this sometimes results in the same incorrect information showing up in several different books. The Quotationary is a very pleasant exception, and the source information has proven near-perfect in accuracy.

If you can only buy one major quote dictionary, this one is an outstanding choice.

I've owned a few similar books in the past, and they provided a bit of amusement, but rarely had a quote I found really appropriate when I needed it. This compilation, though, seems to have good selections and they're crossreferenced in such a way that you can get so absorbed in your search that you forget why you initially reached for the book. I ordered several quotation books from Amazon, and this one, by far, is the one I'll use most. For those who intend to buy just one book of quotations, this is the answer.

I am a dedicated collector of quotations, and I would rate thisbook at the top of all quotation resources I have discovered over theyears. Not just a collection of cliches and aphorisms, it offers refreshing new material on just about every subject imaginable. If you were to buy one quotation book only, I would recommend it be this book.

There are many books of quotations, but none as thorough and readable as the Quotationary. I found it both a learning experience and an enjoyable read. Because of its excellent organization and cross-referencing, I could go from one subject, or author, to another, creating my own personal journey. Of all the quotation books I've browsed or read, this one has the choicest selections. If you are looking for the perfect quote on any of more than 1000 subjects, keep your Quotationary close at hand.

Eric Hoffer's best stuff. The distilled H. L. Mencken. The best lines of David Letterman, Langston Hughes, Barbara Kinsolver, Peter DeVries, Bob Hope, Garrison Keillor, and much of the wit and wisdom of our age is encompassed between these covers. A bargain at twice the price.

Ive used a lot of quotation books, but if i had to choose one, this would the one. Easy to use, sorted by topic and a great index (not as large as Bartlett's best still nice). Only thing thats kind of annoying is that the pages are on the upper inside corner of the page. It can be a bother when trying to flip to a page, but i got over it. All in all, i think this is the best quotation book out their, especially for the paperback price.

If wisdom can be put in words, the words are in this book. Move over Bartlett's, the Quotationary will set the agenda for quotations for the next 100 years.

Oftentimes, people ask me how I come up with such insightful quotes for my blogpage.

My answer is..... "I am just so witty that I recite them from memory, my dear!"

But the TRUTH is... this damn book right here.

It is the best dictionary of quotes I have ever seen, and believe me, I have looked.

This one is the best.

The reason that it is the best, is the quotes given are not STUPID!

They are actually relevant and good. Every single day I post a quotation on my webpage, and this book has been my savior, when my own inspiration has been running shallow. Really good.

I bought it.

You should, too.

I was first drawn to this book because of the title, a delicious blend of quotation and dictionary. Unlike The Big Three quotation reference books (Bartlett's, Oxford, and Yale), which organize quotations by author, this is a true dictionary of quotations, in that it organizes quotations by topic (from ability to zen).

As a lifelong quotation collector, I believe the true test of a quotation anthology lies in the nature of the quotations selected by the compiler. And there is no book in my personal library--which now includes over 300 quotation collections--containing more quoteworthy observations (many of which are anthologized here for the first time). I could provide hundreds of examples, but here are a half-dozen quotations from Frank's Quotationary that, despite their brilliance, are nowhere to be found in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, or the Yale Dictionary of Quotations:

"Praise out of season, or tactlessly bestowed, can freeze the heart as much as blame."

Pearl S. Buck

"Instead of clearing his own heart, the zealot tries to clear the world."

Joseph Campbell

"People wish to be settled; only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."

Anaïs Nin

"Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make famous."

Joyce Carol Oates

(yes, Franks also references the original Euripides line)

"My own education operated by a succession of eye-openers each involving the repudiation of some previously held belief."

George Bernard Shaw

If you're looking for an anthology with the quotation equivalent of MPG (miles per gallon), no other quotation collection will take you further down the superhighway of ideas than Leonard Roy Frank's remarkable Quotationary. Enthusiastically recommended!

And, by the way, you will not make a mistake if you also check out Frank's "Wit and Humor Quotationary." Another spectacular quotation collection, and yet another great gift idea from a truly gifted man.

Dr. Mardy Grothe,

psychologist, writer, & quotation anthologist

(www.drmardy.com)