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Ambrose Bierce
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The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary Paperback – Unabridged, January 3, 2002

by Ambrose Bierce (Author), David E. Schultz (Editor), S. T. Joshi (Editor)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 195 ratings
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If we could only put aside our civil pose and say what we really thought, the world would be a lot like the one alluded to in The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary. There, a bore is "a person who talks when you wish him to listen," and happiness is "an agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another." This is the most comprehensive, authoritative edition ever of Ambrose Bierce’s satiric masterpiece. It renders obsolete all other versions that have appeared in the book’s ninety-year history.

A virtual onslaught of acerbic, confrontational wordplay, The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary offers some 1,600 wickedly clever definitions to the vocabulary of everyday life. Little is sacred and few are safe, for Bierce targets just about any pursuit, from matrimony to immortality, that allows our willful failings and excesses to shine forth.

This new edition is based on David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi’s exhaustive investigation into the book’s writing and publishing history. All of Bierce’s known satiric definitions are here, including previously uncollected, unpublished, and alternative entries. Definitions dropped from previous editions have been restored while nearly two hundred wrongly attributed to Bierce have been excised. For dedicated Bierce readers, an introduction and notes are also included.

Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary is a classic that stands alongside the best work of satirists such as Twain, Mencken, and Thurber. This unabridged edition will be celebrated by humor fans and word lovers everywhere.

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  1. Print length
    440 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Georgia Press
  4. Publication date
    January 3, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.02 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780820324012
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0820324012
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Bierce was America's first realist writer, but, unlike realism's later practitioners, he knew something about reality―it's really funny.

-- P. J. O'Rourke

This carefully edited manuscript will add immeasurably to Bierce studies.

-- Joseph B. McCullough ― University of Nevada-Las Vegas

This is a work of genuinely impressive scholarship and will undoubtedly become the authoritative text for Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary.

-- Thomas V. Quirk ― University of Missouri-Columbia

Splendidly produced.

-- London Times Literary Supplement

A compilation of all of Bierce's satirical definitions published over a forty-year period, this latest version of the Dictionary ('A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic') merits a wide readership both within and without the Academy ('A modern school where football is taught').

-- American Literary Review

Most readers and biographers have agreed with Schultz and Joshi that The Devil's Dictionary is 'quintessential Bierce.' For the serious student of Bierce's diabolical lexicon, their beautiful new edition . . . will be a delight.

-- Sewanee Review

About the Author

AMBROSE BIERCE (1842–1914?) was one of nineteenth-century America’s most renowned satirists. The author of short stories, essays, fables, poems, and sketches, he was a popular columnist and wrote for several San Francisco and London newspapers during his forty-year journalism career.

DAVID E. SCHULTZ is a technical editor. He is coeditor, with S. T. Joshi, of both A Sole Survivor, a collection of Ambrose Bierce's autobiographical writings, and Lord of a Visible World, an autobiography-in-letters of H. P. Lovecraft.

S. T. JOSHI is a freelance writer and editor. He is the editor of The Collected Fables of Ambrose Bierce and author of H. P. Lovecraft: A Life.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0820324019
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Georgia Press; Revised ed. edition (January 3, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 440 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780820324012
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0820324012
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.02 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 195 ratings

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  1. Ambrose Bierce

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
195 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Takis
5.0 out of 5 stars This is my Bible now
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2014
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Every time my mind is occupied by a concept or a word, I immediately run to The Devil's Dictionary for an answer. Of course, this books has no answers. It offers only consolation*. Through cynicism and wit, it makes you feel less alone. It makes you feel like there are other people in your emotional/intellectual hell.

English is not my mother tongue and I also don't live in 1900, so there are certain parts of the book I find hard to read. But it's not a big loss, since I wouldn't bother with these words anyway. On the other hand, Ambrose Bierce may not live in 2014, yet his commentary on society and human nature is as up-to-date as ever! I really believe that this will turn out to be one the books that never get old and people will still be reading it centuries later.
Maybe I'm not into poetry (much more English poetry), but I found the poems quite fun to read, though I expected them to be boring.

You don't have to read this at once. Just have it near your desk at all times and grab a definition or two every day. It's also fun if you're reading it with others. Fun for the whole family.

*CONSOLATION, noun: The knowledge that a better man is more unfortunate than yourself.
11 people found this helpful
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oneeye
5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoy reading books for many reasons and while I never ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2014
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I enjoy reading books for many reasons and while I never expected a dictionary to satisfy many of those reasons, this one does it very well. It is educational, humorous, historical and well organized. It's not a page turner, not exciting, not sexy - but if you are interested in learning things, this book is for you. There is one definition on page 12 that is worth the price of the book: "Adams Apple: a protuberance on the throat of a man, thoughtfully provided by Nature to keep the rope in place". The book is filled with laughs like this. (If you don't think that's funny, go read War and Peace) It is also a good reference book; you can look up all kinds of interesting information and remember it was written a long long time ago. Too bad there are no Ambrose Bierces' left - his insights were refreshing.
12 people found this helpful
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BlasterMaster
5.0 out of 5 stars Bitter Bierce, Anyone?
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2015
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A master of the English language but no soft academic was he! Bitter Bierce,
as he became to be known, had experienced the Civil War in the
cruelest way, lying wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness,
watching others die, being burned to death and then horribly torn by
wild pigs. He recovered but lived out his years with a
bullet lodged in his brain.

Such experiences would twist anyone's belief in the goodness of mankind
and Bierce eventually abandoned conventional journalism to write acidic
commentary and harsh prose, poking fun at everyone in turn, from politicians
to priests. Few were spared his verbal rapier thrusts
and he found himself increasingly estranged from San Francisco society.

His Devil's Dictionary reflects his bitterness and wit simultaneously
and his outrageous "definitions" are still spot on and uncomfortable
even today, for the pompous and the fakirs alike. He even pokes at himself
with definitions like "Alone: in good company"
and "Marriage: a state of temporary insanity only cured
by the passage of time."

Alone and divorced, he wandered off into Mexico, attempting to
interview Pancho Villa, and was never seen again.
16 people found this helpful
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J. Fisher
4.0 out of 5 stars The style is unique
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2016
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I like this book. I do think that some of the words are way too predictable and vague. I am mostly in love with the concept of this book. I am party inspired to mimic the style. If only I had the drive to....
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David
5.0 out of 5 stars Unabridged Devil's Dictionary
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2014
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I discovered the Dover reprint of this Ambrose Bierce classic when I was in college and reveled in the biting wit. It was lost in many moves since, so when I saw a quote from this edition, I bought it. It has the originally published Devil's Dictionary updated from columns in other news papers for which he wrote in later years. It also has a second half that contains notations and references to Bierce's life and work in connection with most words. This is a fun volume for anyone interested in his acerbic wit and in his life.
6 people found this helpful
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Phillip Jennings
5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Mind
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2006
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If truth is beauty, and beauty truth, this is one good looking book. As an aspiring cynic, finding this book was akin to Ahab finding the whale. (I have no idea what that means). I don't think this book could be written today. Most of Bierce's definitions have become accepted fact. The book belongs in the library of everyone who believes Political Correctness is the beginning of the end of the world. Without the ability to communicate honestly, we are doomed. If you don't agree, you're just a bigoted fool. (see Bierce definitions). A great, funny, lucid book.
31 people found this helpful
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B. Franz
5.0 out of 5 stars Not To Be Missed!
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2018
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Hands down, one of the funniest books I've ever read. Years ago a fellow engineer brought a copy into the office, resulting in projects falling behind schedule for 6 months. Bierce is an earlier incarnation of H. L. Mencken only not so warm and fuzzy. A true gem!
2 people found this helpful
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Gloria M Keller
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2016
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Maybe I expected too much. Did not find it as amusing as I had hoped.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Service
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2020
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Product exactly as advertised. Service excellent.
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Berloni Pepponi
5.0 out of 5 stars Immer wieder schön, auch als Geschenk.
Reviewed in Germany on December 8, 2018
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Das Meisterwerk des verschollenen USAnischen Schriftstellers mit der spitzen Feder. Ein unverzichtbarer Bestandteil einer jeden Bibliothek mit dem Anspruch, gut sortiert zu sein. Und immer wieder eine Fundgrube, wenn man mal ein witziges Zitat benötigt.
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J.C. Warren
5.0 out of 5 stars Would recommend highly
Reviewed in Canada on June 18, 2015
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A source of laughter and knowledge. Would recommend highly
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川流桃桜
5.0 out of 5 stars これぞ決定版！
Reviewed in Japan on May 5, 2006
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先ず手に取ってパラパラと捲ってみた時の最初の感想が、「こりゃスゴい」。『悪魔の辞典』は元々、ビアスが30年以上に亘ってあちこちの新聞やらに発表したり書き溜めたりしていたものを寄せ集めたものなので、1911年の初版以降幾つもの版が存在しているのだが、このジョージア版は従来のどのものよりもスゴい。その名の通り、全項目に亘って一切カットしていないのだ。

収録されている定義の数は何と約1,600。重複している項目も残らず拾っていて、しかもこれまでどの版にも未収録だった補遺定義等も収録されている。20頁以上に及ぶ詳細で要を得た解説の他、80頁近い註、各項目の収録対応表に初出一覧、それに索引まで付いていると云う充実振り。原書を読みたいのだがどの版を買えば良いのか迷っている方があれば、取り敢えずこれを買っておきなさい、と迷わず断言出来る、とにかくお薦めの一冊である。
3 people found this helpful
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Glen
2.0 out of 5 stars The Kindle Edition has Poor Quality Illustrations
Reviewed in Canada on May 2, 2019
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The illustrations by Ralph Steadman are very poor quality in the Kindle edition. I don’t recommend the book in that form. There are other editions on Kindle to enjoy. Buy a paper copy to see Ralphs wonder illustrations.
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