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Available
Call number
Library's review
En samling af ordforklaringer, nogle spøgefuldt drejet og andre mere ondskabsfulde. Magnet, n. Something acted upon by magnetism. Magnetism, n. Something acting upon a magnet. The two definitions immediately foregoing are condensed from the works of one thousand eminent scientists, who have
Mange af ordforklaringerne får en til at tænke dybere over det pågældende ords egentlige betydning
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illuminated the subject with a great white light, to the inexpressible advancement of human knowledge.Mange af ordforklaringerne får en til at tænke dybere over det pågældende ords egentlige betydning
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Genres
Publication
The World Publishing Company, Hardcover (1943)
Description
Reference. Nonfiction. Humor (Nonfiction.) HTML: Dive into a masterpiece of American satirical writing. The Devil's Dictionary, compiled by famed American journalist and fiction writer Ambrose Bierce, offers readers a compendium of words and phrases with dictionary-style definitions that are blisteringly hilarious and packed with spot-on cynicism and dark humor. The format makes this book a great text for dipping into any time you need a quick laugh..
Media reviews
It is very selective in the words it lists, but is a true dictionary in that it gives definitions, occasional etymologies, and frequent illustrations, often invented by the author.... [There] is a long disquisition on King’s Evil, which is practically a history of the scrofula and its supposed
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treatment by royal touch, and gives an unexpectedly serious tone to the work. However, mostly the definitions are sardonic, curmudgeonly, world-weary, cynical, eccentric, unconventional, rational in a topsy-turvy way, thought-provoking and nearly always very comical.... Put in a thumb anywhere and it will come out with a juicy, refreshing plum, generally on the tart side, but always full of flavour and satisfying. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member wrmjr66
I'm not sure whether I just didn't enjoy this book, or if I didn't enjoy reading it via dailyLit.com. I think, though, that it's the book's fault. You don't have to read much past the first few letters of the alphabet to see what Bierce's hobby-horses are: religion, women, other writers, etc. He
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really doesn't cover much new territory, and what he does seems to have been done by better satirists. His aphorisms don't have the comic touches of Twain at his best, and his diatribes don't come anywhere near Voltaire or Swift. What's left is too few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing series or predictable targets and predictable satire against them. Maybe I'm just turning into an old, curmudgeonly fart, but this book just didn't do it for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member benjclark
Fantastic. If you love words, puns, or concise writing, this is one you'll love. If you're a fan of American Literature in the late 19th Century, this is one of the funniest compilations to come from the period. I'm hoping to find an unabridged version to replace my rinky-dink one. It stands next
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to Sam'l Johnson on my desk. Show Less
LibraryThing member Devil_llama
This is an unabridged edition of the famous Devil's Dictionary, with words and phrases treated ironically and wittily by the author. I have read a much abridged version of this, and I must say, I find the abridge version much more satisfying. This version is larded down with all sorts of extraneous
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fluff, verses by others that might have been more amusing at the time, but now are simply incomprehensible; long treatises and anecdotes that drag the book down by detracting from the wit of the snappy definitions and sardonic humor. There are a great many truly wonderful moments here, but in this long edition (770 pages), you have to wade through a lot of excess verbiage to get to them. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheBentley
Provided you have a pretty firm grounding in 19th century culture, The Devil's Dictionary is great fun--arguably one of the wittiest satires to come out of an entire generation. But it's not a book to read cover to cover. Keep it in your bathroom--or put it in your guest bedroom to help you weed
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out friends who don't have a sense of humor! Show Less
LibraryThing member heidilove
every satirist needs this book. i use it many times through the year.
LibraryThing member osunale
Brilliant. Bierce is biting and never tongue-in-cheek, always cynical, and always funny. This is a great work to pick up and flip through whenever one is feeling sad, bored, or a little too warm-hearted.
LibraryThing member glanecia
If this book didn't make me laugh so much, its sexist aphorisms might offend me. It's all in good humor though, so I'll give it five stars. :)
LibraryThing member elfortunawe
Brilliant. If you're looking to expand your vocabulary, you can do no better. At some times he writes succinctly, allowing his ready wit to strike freely. At other times Bierce' writing assumes a prolixity worthy of the dryest of scholars, giving the dictionary a faux-pomposity which perfectly
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enhances the ridiculousness of the things he's put on paper. Show Less
LibraryThing member datrappert
As brilliant as many of the individual definitions are, reading this book from cover to cover is a bit of a chore.
LibraryThing member Terpsichoreus
There may be none, outside of perhaps Rabelais, who may so decorously handle the refuse of the world. The Devil's Dictionary is a guidebook for the mind of man, and perhaps a certain delicacy becomes necessary when exploring something so rude and unappealing. There is perhaps no greater
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illustration that the answer of 'why do bad things happen to good people' is: because it is much funnier that way. Show Less
LibraryThing member BLyda97112
You can't go wrong with the Dover Thrift Edition of Bierce's caustic and hilarious 'dictionary'. An American classic. Read it.
LibraryThing member Devil_llama
An abridged version of the classic work. The definitions will leave you roaring with delight, and sometimes guffawing in recognition.
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
This is the book that never seemed to end - reading it was a bit like the riddle of the frog who can only jump halfway to the finish line, never reaching it. Luckily, I did. This is the perfect book for nighttime reading. No plot, just interesting definitions to well known word. Some of the
My favorite has to be the definition for Logic. A must read for those interested in American Writing.
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language and words were outdated or not used and I had to look it up in a dictionary (Regular), but most of Ambrose Beirce's observations are spot on. My favorite has to be the definition for Logic. A must read for those interested in American Writing.
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LibraryThing member jwhenderson
This is an irreverent literary foray from a curmudgeon who lived an adventurous life. His civil war experience was put to good use in his stories. His journalistic career lasted until 1913 when, at the age of seventy-one, he left for Mexico and was never heard from again. Fortunately he left behind
Charmingly eccentric these definitions often lay bare the truth of human foibles. I find them worth reading and rereading as a reminder of what makes some of us tick.
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this book of cynical and satirical definitions that show off the underside of humanity. Some definitions are short essays while others provide an opportunity for Bierce to display some verse. He even included some brief dialogues as demonstration of the definition when it took his fancy. Charmingly eccentric these definitions often lay bare the truth of human foibles. I find them worth reading and rereading as a reminder of what makes some of us tick.
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LibraryThing member jen.e.moore
By turns satirical, biting, vicious, nihilistic, racist, misogynistic, and downright mean. Exhausting on the whole I confess to not reading most of the poems, which I did not find amusing at all.
LibraryThing member et.carole
If he wasn't dead, I would go to Mexico and look for Bierce. This year's junior research paper for English 11 was fun, because he was my topic. A lovely little book of definitions that I might not agree with but can sure respect his wit and humor. Makes me wonder what else I'm missing that he wrote.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1906
Physical description
376 p.; 20.8 cm
Local notes
Omslag: Ikke angivet
Omslaget viser en lille djævel der peger på titlen. Desuden er der et lille citat fra H. L. Mencken: Among the series of epigrams called The Devil's Dictionary are some of the most gorgeous witticisms in the English language.
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Gutenberg, bind 972
The Devils Dictionary
Omslaget viser en lille djævel der peger på titlen. Desuden er der et lille citat fra H. L. Mencken: Among the series of epigrams called The Devil's Dictionary are some of the most gorgeous witticisms in the English language.
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Gutenberg, bind 972
The Devils Dictionary
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Pages
376
DDC/MDS
| 423.0207 |