Devil's Dictionary

Born in Ohio in 1842, journalist, short-story writer and critic Ambrose Bierce developed into one of this country's most celebrated and cynical wits--a merciless "e;American Swift"e; whose literary barbs were aimed at folly, self-delusion, politics, business, religion, literature and the arts. In this splendid "e;dictionary"e; of epigrams, essays, verses and vignettes, you'll find over 1,000 pointed definitions, e.g. Congratulation ("e;The civility of envy"e;), Coward ("e;One who in a perilous emergency thinks with his legs"e;) and Historian ("e;A broad-gauge gossip"e;). Anyone who likes to laugh will love The Devil's Dictionary. Anyone looking for a bon mot to enliven their next speech, paper or conversation will have a field day thumbing through what H. L. Mencken called "e;some of the most gorgeous witticisms in the English language."e;