To paraphrase Ira Gershwin, "on every [page] that you turn you meet a notable with a statement that is eminently quotable" in this collection. According to editor Shapiro, this is "the first quotation book to be compiled using state-of-the-art research methods to seek out quotations and to trace quotation sources." He compares his approach with that of the Oxford English Dictionary: he, too, traces words back to their earliest possible usages. Using a variety of electronic sources, such as JSTOR, LexisNexis, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, andTimes Digital Archive, scores of quotations were verified, and in many cases reverified. The more than 12,000 quotations collected here span a wide array of subjects, from literature, philosophy, and history to science, business, and politics.Quotations are presented alphabetically by the name of the author or speaker. Shakespeare and the Bible, the mother lodes of quotations, are amply represented, but emphasis is on "modern and American materials." Children's authors, who are often ignored in other dictionaries, are quoted here. There are a number of special sections devoted to particular types of quotations, among them advertising slogans, ballads, film lines, political slogans, and radio and television catchphrases. Song lyrics are entered by the name of the composer, and film lines appear either under the film title in the special section devoted to movie lines or, if they originated in a book or play upon which the film was based, under the author of that literary source. Proverbs span the centuries and often include evidence of a saying's first print appearance. A keyword index, an essential element of any quotation dictionary, rounds out the text.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (17th ed., Little, Brown, 2002) has around 25,000 quotations, and Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (6th ed., 2004) has more than 20,000. Although the Yale dictionary is smaller, readers may find it a richer source for familiar names, from Dr. Seuss to Donald Rumsfeld, and for special categories such as advertising slogans and film lines. Quotation dictionaries are an essential part of the reference collection, and this one, with its broad scope and meticulous attention to the origins of the material quoted, will enhance any collection, large or small. Carolyn Mulac
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
"Meticulously researched. . . . To find out who said what and when they did it, Shapiro spent six years poring over hundreds and hundreds of databases, using advanced Internet searches as well as using the more old-fashioned methods of going through microfilms, dusty bookshelves and reading the 1,000 or so other quotation books that are out there to find out the truth. . . . The result . . . is a quotations book with footnotes that are as fascinating to read as the quotes themselves."—Arthur Spiegelman, Washington Post Book World
"[A] hotly awaited tome."―William Safire, New York Times
"The Yale Book of Quotations, handsomely printed, brings modern voices into the company of standbys like Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson and Mark Twain, who squeeze together and make room for B.B. King, Fran Lebowitz, and Stanislaw Jerzy Lec."—William Grimes, New York Times (The Gifts to Open Again and Again)
". . . good-humoured and richly sourced."—Godfrey Smith, The Sunday Times
"A handsome volume of twelve thousand quotations, some more famous than others―is Bartlett's and Oxford corrected, amplified, amended, modernized and generally spiffed up. Not only is the The Yale Book of Quotations a more profoundly researched work than anything else to date, it is more comprehensive than any other quotation-reference work―the first, in fact, to emphasize modern and American sources and fully to represent popular culture, children's literature, sports, computers, politics, law, and the social sciences."―Katie Hafner, BookForum
Named the #2 reference book that is essential for a home library by Donald Altschiller, Wall Street Journal
"This collection of 12,000 quotations is a real treat! The quotes range over literature, history, popular culture, sports, computers, science, politics, law, and the social sciences, and although American quotations are emphasized, the book's scope is global. The authors represented are as diverse as William Shakespeare, John Lennon, Jack Dempsey, both Presidents Bush, J.K. Rowling, Rita Mae Brown, Confucius, Warren Buffet, and Deng Xiaoping. . . . The scope and detail of research here is impressive, and the . . . typeface and layout make the work inviting. . . . Libraries will want to purchase a copy for reference and for circulation, even if they haven't been buying quotation books recently. Every library will want one for circulation because browsing it is such fun."―Library Journal
"Fred Shapiro's The Yale Book of Quotations brings new names, new life, and scrupulous research to the world of great lines. . . . [He] is arguably the nation's preeminent archaeologist of quotations. . . . [The] book is a joy simply to peruse. . . . His annotations constitute a parallel text that lends the book the sort of heft needed to become a standard reference tool, as it inevitably will. The cross-references and historical contexts he offers for quotations are invaluable for future researchers."—Alan Bisbort, Connecticut Magazine
"The power of the demotic gives Shapiro’s book a special charge not shared by other such compilations."—Carlo Rotella, Yale Alumni Magazine
"The first truly modern yet historically comprehensive book of quotations."—Randall Beach, New Haven Register
"This is a useful resource for writers, speakers, and preachers."―Christian Century
"The Yale Book of Quotations aims to become the Bartlett’s for a new generation. It may well do it. One thing is certain: It’s a whole lot more fun. . . . An irreverent, uncensored romp."―Steve Blow, Dallas Morning News
"Seems this book would make a great educational game―exercising the brain instead of the joystick finger."―Donna Doherty, New Haven Register
"A handsome and well-indexed compilation. . . . It is not just a compilation but a work of scholarship. . . . In The Yale Book of Quotations, [Shapiro] proves even more diligent than Bartlett was about finding the exact origins and wording of familiar quotations. . . . The historical notes in small type―elaborating on sources and parallels, and sometimes cross-referencing other quotations within the volume―make this a really useful reference work. It is also a profitable (or at least entertaining) way to procrastinate."―Scott McLemee, Inside Higher Ed
"Tired of anglophilic Bartlett’s, with its overused English one-liners? [This is] a major new companion, tilted toward American and pop culture."—Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer (Worthy of Coffee Table and Reading Too.)
"Wonderful."―Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics Blog
"The Yale Book of Quotations would make a welcome addition to anyone’s library. For one thing it’s more fun than Bartlett’s and it’s more democratic. The Yale book, in fact, spends more time quoting Groucho Marx than Karl Marx."—Dave Wood, HometownSource.com
"This is a work of scholarship and love. Librarians can take pride in the achievement of their talented colleague. They will find The Yale Book of Quotations a very helpful addition to their collections and a whole lot of fun, too."—Vince Juliano, Connecticut Libraries
"Bartlett's Familiar Quotations has around 25,000 quotations, and Oxford Dictionary of Quotations has more than 20,000. Although the Yale dictionary is smaller, readers may find it a richer source for familiar names, from Dr. Seuss to Donald Rumsfeld, and for special categories such as advertising slogans and film lines. Quotation dictionaries are an essential part of the reference collection, and this one, with its broad scope and meticulous attention to the origins of the material quoted, will enhance any collection, large or small."—Booklist
"Delightful. . . . Contains examples that are funny as well as examples that are serious and thought-provoking."―Henry Cohen, The Federal Lawyer
"Shapiro has set a very high bar for any future reference work of this kind. . . . Besides being at the forefront of attribution sleuthing, YBQ is also noteworthy for expanding the usual boundaries of quotation dictionaries. . . . Unparalleled and endlessly rewarding."―Ben Zimmer, Dictionaries
Selected as a 2007 "Outstanding" book by AAUP University Press Books for Public and Secondary School Libraries
Named a Best Book of 2006 by amazon.com
Received Honorable Mention from the Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division of the Association of American Publishers (PSP/AAP) in the category of single-volume reference, humanities and social sciences
Winner of the Bronze ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award in Reference
A finalist in the category of Nonfiction for the 2007 Connecticut Book Award, given by the Connecticut Center for the Book
"The Yale Book of Quotations, with Fred Shapiro's original research, will shock many of us out of our state of error."—William Safire, New York Times Magazine
"A splendid work of painstaking research and wide culture."—Joseph Epstein, from the Foreword
"A splendid work of painstaking research and wide culture."―Joseph Epstein, from the Foreword
About the Author
Fred R. Shapiro is associate librarian and lecturer in legal research at the Yale Law School. He is a well-known authority on quotations and the editor of The Oxford Dictionary of American Legal Quotations.
Bartlett's Familiar QuotationsHardcover$21.09 shippingGet it as soon as Wednesday, Nov 20Only 9 left in stock - order soon.
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