The Devil's Dictionary

Satiric lexicon by Ambrose Bierce, first compiled as The Cynic's Word Book in 1906. T he barbed definitions that Bierce began publishing in a weekly journal he edited in San Francisco, brought this 19th-century stock form to a new level of artistry. Employing a terse, aphoristic style, Bierce lampooned social, professional, and religious convention, as in his definitions for bore--"A person who talks when you wish him to listen"; architect--"One who drafts a plan of your house, and plans a draft of your money"; and saint--"A dead sinner revised and edited." Includes unique illustrations.