Books with author B. Ambrose

What other kind of dictionary would you expect from the pen of Ambrose Bierce? A noted journalist, Bierce’s first job was as a printer’s “devil.” A cynic extraordinaire, he first saw publication of this work in 1906 under the title THE CYNIC'S WORD BOOK. Having endured and been been badly wounded in the Civil War, Bierce might be excused a somewhat jaundiced view of the human condition. Perhaps due to the author’s journalistic experiences, the reader will note a particular cynicism toward politics and politicians (see definition below). And a failed marriage did nothing to enhance is views of romance. Thankfully for the reader, Ambrose Bierce has turned to wit and humor rather than to bitterness. Yes, he is cynical, but delightfully so. ABSURDITY, n. A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion. ALONE, adj. In bad company. LOVE, n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage… NEIGHBOR, n. One whom we are commanded to love as ourselves, and who does all he knows how to make us disobedient. POLITICIAN, n. An eel in the fundamental mud upon which the superstructure of organized society is reared. RATTLESNAKE, n. Our prostrate brother. SCRIPTURES, n. The sacred books of our holy religion, as distinguished from the false and profane writings on which all other faiths are based. CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE J. Milton Sloluck Jum Coople Hannibal Hunsiker Worgum Slupsky (and others from the author’s extraordinary imagination)

The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical dictionary written by American Civil War soldier, wit, and writer Ambrose Bierce consisting of common words followed by "howlingly funny" definitions. The lexicon was written over three decades as a series of installments for magazines and newspapers. Bierce’s witty definitions were imitated and plagiarized for years before he gathered them into books, first as The Cynic's Word Book in 1906 and then in a more complete version as The Devil's Dictionary in 1911. Initial reception of the book versions was mixed. In the decades following, however, the stature of The Devil's Dictionary grew. It has been widely quoted, frequently translated, and often imitated, earning a global reputation. In the 1970s, The Devil's Dictionary was named as one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Zweig said that The Devil's Dictionary is "probably the most brilliant work of satire written in America. And maybe one of the greatest in all of world literature."

These caustic aphorisms, collected in The Devil's Dictionary, helped earn Ambrose Bierce the epithets Bitter Bierce, the Devil's Lexicographer, and the Wickedest Man in San Francisco. First published as The Cynic's Word Book (1906) and later reissued under its preferred name in 1911, Bierce's notorious collection of barbed definitions forcibly contradicts Samuel Johnson's earlier definition of a lexicographer as a harmless drudge. There was nothing harmless about Ambrose Bierce, and the words he shaped into verbal pitchforks a century ago--with or without the devil's help--can still draw blood today.

The oeuvre of Ambrose Bierce is certainly varied and colorful, including satiric writings and literary criticism just as much as Gothic stories. This collection contains the best of Bierce’s short stories, both writings inspired by history and scary stories, but don’t expect horror stories that will make you feel terrified to spend a night alone in your own home – what you should expect is a set of exciting stories that will send shivers down your spine, but without any horror elements.The book organizes the nineteen short and quick paced stories into five chapters. The first chapter is entitled The Ways of Ghosts and it includes four stories of dead people as they are trying to reach out for the world of the living in order to help the living; the second set of four stories is collected under the title Soldier Folk and also deals with strange events, but this is also the chapter that contains stories about how the war impacts family life and how duty can defeat death.The third chapter bears the title Some Haunted Houses, part one, followed by the fourth chapter with part two, both being about spirits that are confined to buildings. The last three stories are grouped under the chapter title Mysterious Disappearances – they deal with how people living everyday lives suddenly disappeared and they make an attempt of presenting a theory to account for the mysterious events. Ambrose Bierce not only wrote about unexplainable disappearances – his own death was also a mysterious disappearance. In 1913, Bierce set off on a journey to visit the important battlegrounds of the Civil War. In December, he wrote a letter to a friend of his, but nothing more is known about him after that letter – he simply vanished and the mystery has not been elucidated to our days.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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.

Classic Ghost Stories - The Damned Thing by Ambrose Bierce "The Damned Thing" is a short story written by Ambrose Bierce. It first appeared in Tales from New York Town Topics on December 7, 1893. This story focuses on how the human race takes their views of nature for granted, and how there may be things in the natural world that the human eye cannot see or the human ear cannot hear. "The Damned Thing" is written in four parts, each with a comical subtitle. The story begins in Hugh Morgan's cabin, where local men have gathered around the battered corpse of Hugh Morgan to hold an inquest concerning his death. William Harker, a witness to the death, enters and is sworn in by the coroner to relate the circumstances. William reads a prepared statement about a hunting and fishing outing undertaken with Morgan. He and Morgan encountered a series of disturbances that Morgan referred to as "that damned thing". During the last encounter, Morgan fired his gun in fear, then fell to the ground and cried out in mortal agony. Harker saw his companion moving violently and erratically, while shouting and making disturbing cries. He thought Morgan was having convulsions because he didn't appear to be under attack. By the time Harker reached Morgan, Morgan was dead. The coroner states that Morgan's diary contains no evidence in the matter of his death. A juror implies that Harker's testimony is symptomatic of insanity, and Harker leaves the inquest in anger. The jury concludes that Morgan was killed by a mountain lion. The story becomes epistolary in nature, detailing entries from Morgan's diary in which he claims to have experienced things in the natural world that cannot be seen or heard, such as "the damned thing".