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Quotation, n: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another. Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary And this is just one of hundreds of pithy quotations taken directly from Ambrose Bierce’s wildly popular and hilarious dictionary, aptly named The Devil’s Dictionary. In the preface, Bierce explains how The Devil’s Dictionary came to be: it is a collection of satirical word definitions that were first published in a newspaper over the course of several years. Bierce wrote the definitions as criticisms of political and social hypocrisy. The droll definitions and sharp wit of Bierce became incredibly popular. Soon, other publications were printing the definitions. Bierce was anthologized in many compilations of “cynic” writers, works that gained a reputation for being “silly.” To refute the bad reputation his intelligent and exacting definitions were receiving by being associated with such idiocy, Bierce compiled his work and published it as The Devil’s Dictionary. To his supporters he writes, “In merely resuming his own the author hopes to be held guiltless by those to whom the work is addressed -- enlightened souls who prefer dry wines to sweet, sense to sentiment, wit to humor and clean English to slang.” Bierce chose the title The Devil’s Dictionary over the title The Cynic’s Word Book. The dictionary has become a classic, and its candid observations have remained relevant a century later. Bierce’s canon of work includes poetry, many short stories, and several novels and essays. The Devil’s Dictionary is a unique work that perfectly illustrates his amazing capacity for impeccable word choice, his skepticism, and his dry humor and wit. Title: The Devil’s Dictionary Author: Ambrose Bierce ISBN: 9781775420248 Version: Unabridged Language: English Reader: Various Format: MP3 Audio CD Tracks / Chapters: 17 Chapters Total running time: 08:25:48