The Book of Poisonous Quotes (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "A critic is a man who writes about things he doesn't like..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A wickedly entertaining collection of caustic quips and witty criticisms.

About the Author

Colin Jarman is an experienced sailor and journalist and the features editor of Yachting Monthly, a British sailing magazine. Illustrator Bill Beavis spent 12 years as a merchant navy officer and was assistant editor of Yachting Monthly.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809236818
• ISBN-13: 978-0809236817
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #288,693 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Looking for the perfect insult?, January 6, 2003

By	Dennis Littrell (SoCal) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

There's a lot of material here that you won't find in, say, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. And some of it is surprising, some of it is delightful, a lot is funny, and some of it useful for cribbing. (Take the structure of an insult aimed at x, rearrange a word or two, and aim it at y.) For example, Mark Twain is quoted on the cover as saying, "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself." (Incidentally this gem is not in Bartlett's, at least not in the sixteenth edition, which I have.) Teachers, for example, can then say, "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were an administrator, but I repeat myself." For those of you in the business world, just plug in "CEO," etc.

Also not found in Bartlett's (alas there's a lot unavoidably not found in Bartlett's, but that's another review), is this on critics from Marilyn Monroe: "I've always felt those articles somehow reveal more about the writers than they do about me." Dumb blonde?--troubled, but not dumb.

Compiler Colin Jarman organizes the verbal swordplay into chapters by category, beginning with "Critics and Criticism" in chapter one, followed by "The Creative Arts"...through literature, drama, film, music...religion, etc., ending with "Insults, Retorts, and Self-Criticism" in which the quoted get to insult themselves, e.g., "I'm as pure as the driven slush" -Tallulah Bankhead. There's an Index by name referencing both the speaker and the target.

The quality of the insults and ironic misspeakings is very high. I read this through in one setting some years ago, compulsively, and had many a chuckle and some outright belly laughs, and then I read it again a couple of years later and laughed anew. Looking through it once again, I have to say, there was a lot I underappreciated.

Bottom line: worth both the candle and the plastic.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I was looking for more vitriol, March 25, 2002

By	Erin K. Darling "naive cynic" (olympia, wa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are some amusing and chuckle-able quotes in this book, but overall I was hoping for something with more "bite" to it. There are only a few quotes here with practical application, something you could throw out at a moment's notice for a retort. The self-criticism section is probably the best here, and the most memorable quotes are the old film divas' classic one-liners.

The organization by subject is very handy, but overall I was fairly disappointed. Alas.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Curmudgeon's Delight, August 28, 2003

By	mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Editor Colin Jarman has compiled thousands of entertaining insults in "The Guinness Book of Poisonous Quotes"' 337 pages. The pithy put-downs are arranged by subject into sixteen chapters. Among the book's most entertaining chapters are those on Literature, Film, The Media, and Politics. Many chapters include gloriously mean-spirited quotes directed at particular individuals as well as venomous comments on the subject in general. "Poisonous Quotes" is an equal opportunity offender. Persons of all beliefs, tastes, and political persuasions are skewered indiscriminately. There is a very useful index in the back of the book where quotes can be located by the name of the person quoted or the person disparaged. This little volume makes a nice gift for yourself or your favorite curmudgeon.