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The Unabridged Devil Dictionary Ambrose Bierce David Schultz S T Joshi 9780820324012 Books

Download As PDF : The Unabridged Devil Dictionary Ambrose Bierce David Schultz S T Joshi 9780820324012 Books

The Unabridged Devil Dictionary Ambrose Bierce David Schultz S T Joshi 9780820324012 Books

A master of the English language but no soft academic was he! Bitter Bierce,
as he became to be known, had experienced the Civil War in the
cruelest way, lying wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness,
watching others die, being burned to death and then horribly torn by
wild pigs. He recovered but lived out his years with a
bullet lodged in his brain.

Such experiences would twist anyone's belief in the goodness of mankind
and Bierce eventually abandoned conventional journalism to write acidic
commentary and harsh prose, poking fun at everyone in turn, from politicians
to priests. Few were spared his verbal rapier thrusts
and he found himself increasingly estranged from San Francisco society.

His Devil's Dictionary reflects his bitterness and wit simultaneously
and his outrageous "definitions" are still spot on and uncomfortable
even today, for the pompous and the fakirs alike. He even pokes at himself
with definitions like "Alone: in good company"
and "Marriage: a state of temporary insanity only cured
by the passage of time."

Alone and divorced, he wandered off into Mexico, attempting to
interview Pancho Villa, and was never seen again.


Tags : The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary [Ambrose Bierce, David Schultz, S. T. Joshi] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. If we could only put aside our civil pose and say what we really thought, the world would be a lot like the one alluded to in The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary</i>. There,Ambrose Bierce, David Schultz, S. T. Joshi,The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary,University of Georgia Press,0820324019,HUM000000,General,English language - Dictionaries,English language - Semantics,Vocabulary,AMERICAN SATIRE AND HUMOR,General Adult,HUMOR General,Humor,Humour,Non-Fiction,UNIVERSITY PRESS,United States

The Unabridged Devil Dictionary Ambrose Bierce David Schultz S T Joshi 9780820324012 Books Reviews

Discovered this gem in the loo of one of my graduate school professors. This book is one of several that should be handy near the toilet of every thinking person for patient, relaxing, thoughtful, amusing reading.
Hilarious, cynical, bitter, witty. This book is a perfect reflection of the guy who wrote it. It's also a great window into the mind and humor of 19th century America, and a reminder that previous generations weren't all that different from our own when it comes to cynical humor and irony.
Ambrose Bierce's classic tongue-in-cheek definitions give amusing and entertaining insight into what was in it's day curmudgeonly, witty and sometimes double entendre descriptions for word meanings which reflect the mores and social conventions of his day. Not surprisingly, any number of these "off the wall" definitions are applicable to our own miscreants and social arbitrators more than a century later. Good entertainment, with an amusing look into the late 19th century.
I discovered the Dover reprint of this Ambrose Bierce classic when I was in college and reveled in the biting wit. It was lost in many moves since, so when I saw a quote from this edition, I bought it. It has the originally published Devil's Dictionary updated from columns in other news papers for which he wrote in later years. It also has a second half that contains notations and references to Bierce's life and work in connection with most words. This is a fun volume for anyone interested in his acerbic wit and in his life.
Every time my mind is occupied by a concept or a word, I immediately run to The Devil's Dictionary for an answer. Of course, this books has no answers. It offers only consolation*. Through cynicism and wit, it makes you feel less alone. It makes you feel like there are other people in your emotional/intellectual hell.

English is not my mother tongue and I also don't live in 1900, so there are certain parts of the book I find hard to read. But it's not a big loss, since I wouldn't bother with these words anyway. On the other hand, Ambrose Bierce may not live in 2014, yet his commentary on society and human nature is as up-to-date as ever! I really believe that this will turn out to be one the books that never get old and people will still be reading it centuries later.
Maybe I'm not into poetry (much more English poetry), but I found the poems quite fun to read, though I expected them to be boring.

You don't have to read this at once. Just have it near your desk at all times and grab a definition or two every day. It's also fun if you're reading it with others. Fun for the whole family.

*CONSOLATION, noun The knowledge that a better man is more unfortunate than yourself.
Hands down, one of the funniest books I've ever read. Years ago a fellow engineer brought a copy into the office, resulting in projects falling behind schedule for 6 months. Bierce is an earlier incarnation of H. L. Mencken only not so warm and fuzzy. A true gem!
I enjoy reading books for many reasons and while I never expected a dictionary to satisfy many of those reasons, this one does it very well. It is educational, humorous, historical and well organized. It's not a page turner, not exciting, not sexy - but if you are interested in learning things, this book is for you. There is one definition on page 12 that is worth the price of the book "Adams Apple a protuberance on the throat of a man, thoughtfully provided by Nature to keep the rope in place". The book is filled with laughs like this. (If you don't think that's funny, go read War and Peace) It is also a good reference book; you can look up all kinds of interesting information and remember it was written a long long time ago. Too bad there are no Ambrose Bierces' left - his insights were refreshing.
A master of the English language but no soft academic was he! Bitter Bierce,
as he became to be known, had experienced the Civil War in the
cruelest way, lying wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness,
watching others die, being burned to death and then horribly torn by
wild pigs. He recovered but lived out his years with a
bullet lodged in his brain.

Such experiences would twist anyone's belief in the goodness of mankind
and Bierce eventually abandoned conventional journalism to write acidic
commentary and harsh prose, poking fun at everyone in turn, from politicians
to priests. Few were spared his verbal rapier thrusts
and he found himself increasingly estranged from San Francisco society.

His Devil's Dictionary reflects his bitterness and wit simultaneously
and his outrageous "definitions" are still spot on and uncomfortable
even today, for the pompous and the fakirs alike. He even pokes at himself
with definitions like "Alone in good company"
and "Marriage a state of temporary insanity only cured
by the passage of time."

Alone and divorced, he wandered off into Mexico, attempting to
interview Pancho Villa, and was never seen again.