Other editions of book Devil's Dictionary

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical reference book written by Ambrose Bierce. The book offers reinterpretations of terms in the English language, lampooning cant and political doublespeak, as well as other aspects of human foolishness and frailty. A number of the definitions are accompanied by satiric verses, many of which are signed with comic pseudonyms such as Salder Bupp and Orm Pludge; the most frequently appearing contributor is that learned and ingenious cleric, Father Gassalasca Jape, S.J., whose lines bear his initials.

The Devil's Dictionary is a sardonic wordbook written by American Civil War soldier, journalist, and short story writer Ambrose Bierce comprising commonly used words with hilarious meanings. The dictionary was written as portions for magazines and newspapers. Bierce’s sarcastic lexicons were copied for years before he published them as The Cynic's Word Book and later as The Devil's Dictionary. Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. He made the short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and gathered a humorous wordlist The Devil's Dictionary. He was a critic of fervor, his motto “Nothing matters”, and his cynical outlook on human nature tagged him as “Bitter Bierce”. Bierce incited younger writers, such as the poets George Sterling and Herman George Scheffauer and the fiction novelist W. C. Morrow. Bierce made a noticeable form of writing, particularly in his stories. His writing style has a brief start, heavy metaphors, ambiguous sources, definite details, absurd events, and the war themes. Bierce journeyed to Mexico to experience of the Mexican Revolution. He was said to be voyaging with the rebels, and was not seen again after that. Bierce was born in a log cabin at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs County, Ohio, to Marcus Aurelius Bierce and Laura Sherwood Bierce. His mother was a kin of William Bradford. His parents were unfortunate but a bookish couple who influenced him for a passion for reading books and writing. Bierce was raised in Kosciusko County, Indiana, and studied high school at the county seat, Warsaw. He left home at an early age to become a printer's devil at a small Ohio publication. He was best known as a journalist than as a novelist. His famous writings were written in a very quick course and was described as “a tremendous burst of consummate art”.

The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical dictionary written by American Civil War soldier, journalist, and writer Ambrose Bierce consisting of common words followed by humorous and satirical 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. It has been called "howlingly funny", and Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Zweig wrote 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."

The Devil's Dictionary was begun in a weekly paper in 1881, and was continued in a desultory way at long intervals until 1906. In that year a large part of it was published in covers with the title The Cynic's Word Book, a name which the author had not the power to reject or happiness to approve. To quote the publishers of the present work: "This more reverent title had previously been forced upon him by the religious scruples of the last newspaper in which a part of the work had appeared, with the natural consequence that when it came out in covers the country already had been flooded by its imitators with a score of 'cynic' books - The Cynic's This, The Cynic's That, and The Cynic's t'Other. Most of these books were merely stupid, though some of them added the distinction of silliness.

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 humorous and satirical 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.

The Devil's Dictionary was begun in a weekly paper in 1881, and was continued in a desultory way at long intervals until 1906. In that year a large part of it was published in covers with the title The Cynic's Word Book, a name which the author had not the power to reject or happiness to approve. To quote the publishers of the present work: "This more reverent title had previously been forced upon him by the religious scruples of the last newspaper in which a part of the work had appeared, with the natural consequence that when it came out in covers the country already had been flooded by its imitators with a score of 'cynic' books - The Cynic's This, The Cynic's That, and The Cynic's t'Other. Most of these books were merely stupid, though some of them added the distinction of silliness.