The Penguin Dictionary of Epigrams (Penguin Reference Books S.)

by M J Cohen (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2002

  $3.28

  There you are, writing a letter or a speech, or even just arguing with your friends, when you think: there must be a succint way of putting this. Surely a single one-liner could do a better job than my own ill-chosen and long-winded words? Thankfully, we have the epigram - that handy, witty saying that closes arguments, sets people thinking and generally makes everyone else think you're much cleverer than you really are. The Penguin Dictionary of Epigrams is arranged thematically, covering everything from birth and death, knowledge and ignorance to marriage and divorce and madness and sanity.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2001

  $5.92

  Oscar Wilde once had a character remark, He would stab his best friend for the sake of writing an epigram . Here are over 5,000 instances of writers wielding the knife on their best friends! From Socrates to Julie Burchill via St. Augustine, Francis Bacon, George Eliot, Dorothy Parker and Bob Dylan, The Penguin Dictionary of Epigrams covers 2,500 years of pithy, witty and wise sayings. The epigrams are arranged thematically so that the reader can scan the thoughts of writers throughout history on such diverse topics as animals, beauty, death, life, fashion, madness and sports. This means that D.H. Lawrence ( Life makes no absolute statement. It is all Call and Answer ) and John Lennon ( Life is what happens to us while we're making other plans ) sit side by side in the section on life, while Rousseau ( The most infallible way to make your child miserable is to accustom him to obtain everything he desires ), and Dr. Seuss ( Adults are obsolete children ) compare notes on children. In this anthology, M.J. Cohen not only provides the browser with hours of entertaining, stimulating reading, but also presents anyone in search of the witty, sharp remark on any subject with the perfect reference book.