Finally published in its entirety in 1911, the definitions found therein are as apt today as they were nearly a century ago. An example: "HOMICIDE, n. The slaying of one human being by another. There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy, but it makes no great difference to the person slain whether he fell by one kind or another -- the classification is for advantage of the lawyers."

The Ways of Ghosts, including "An Arrest," in which a murderer is escorted back to jail by the prison guard he murdered to escape; Soldier Folk including "A Man with Two Lives," in which a man dead and buried returns to claim his belongings, Some Haunted Houses, including "The Other Lodgers," in which a man checks into what he believes is a hotel only to discover it is an abandoned hospital and Mysterious Disappearances, including "The Difficulty of Crossing a Field," in which a man disappears in full view of witnesses while crossing a field.

Halloween is a time for costumes and parties, especially for the children. But if you're not a professional party organizer, how do you know what to plan for the guests to do? * * * * Let Mary F. Blain take on that chore for you with her excellent book, G

Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914) was a short story writer, an editorialist, a satirist and a journalist. He is best known for his Devil's Dictionary. His sardonic view of human nature and his tough stance as a critic earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce." Despite his reputation Bierce always encouraged young writers. Bierce went to Mexico to get a first hand view of the revolution. He disappeared without a trace. This large collection of fables includes The Moral Principle and the Material Interest -- The Crimson Candle -- The Blotted Escutcheon and the Soiled Ermine -- The Ingenious Patriot --...

Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914) was a short story writer, an editorialist, a satirist and a journalist. He is best known for his devil's Dictionary. His sardonic view of human nature and his tough stance as a critic earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce." Despite his reputation Bierce always encouraged young writers. Bierce went to Mexico to get a first hand view of the revolution. He disappeared without a trace. Write It Right A Little Blacklist of Literary Faults was published in 1909. Bierce wrote this little book as a guide to improving writing. He states that precision is the key. Choosing...

The Devil's Dictionary did not reappear in Bierce's next column ("Prattle," in the magazine The Argonaut, of which he had become an editor in March 1877). Nevertheless, he used the idea of comic definitions in his columns dated November 17, 1877, and September 14, 1878. It was in early 1881 that Bierce first used the title, The Devil's Dictionary, while editor-in-chief of another weekly San Francisco magazine, Wasp. The "dictionary" proved popular, and during his time in this post (1881-86) he included 88 installments, each of 15-20 new definitions. In 1887 Bierce became an editor in The...

Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914) was a short story writer, an editorialist, a satirist and a journalist. He is best known for his Devil's Dictionary. His sardonic view of human nature and his tough stance as a critic earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce." Despite his reputation Bierce always encouraged young writers. Bierce went to Mexico to get a first hand view of the revolution. He disappeared without a trace. The Shadow On The Dial contains the following essays The shadow on the dial, Civilization, The game The of politics, Some features of the law, Arbitration, Industrial discontent, Crime...

Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914) was a short story writer, an editorialist, a satirist and a journalist. He is best known for his Devils Dictionary. His sardonic view of human nature and his tough stance as a critic earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce". Despite his reputation Bierce always encouraged young writers. Bierce went to Mexico to get a first hand view of the revolution. He disappeared without a trace. The Table of Contents for Can Such Things Be? includes The death of Halpin Frayser, The secret of Macargers Gulch, One summer night, The moonlit road, A diagnosis of death,...

Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914) was a short story writer, an editorialist, a satirist and a journalist. He is best known for his Devil's Dictionary. His sardonic view of human nature and his tough stance as a critic earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce." Despite his reputation Bierce always encouraged young writers. Bierce went to Mexico to get a first hand view of the revolution. He disappeared without a trace. Stories in this collection include Present at a hanging -- A cold greeting -- A wireless message -- An arrest -- A man with two lives -- Three and two are one -- A baffled ambuscade --...

Herein are contained the sardonic definitions published by Ambrose Bierce as The Cynic's Word Book in 1906; augmented, edited and republished by the illustrious author in 1911 as The Devil's Dictionary. Unlike other editions which modify, tone down and make moronic additions to Bierce's original Devil's Dictionary, presented here are the complete contents of the 1911 edition without deletions, modifications or embellishments, of any kind, which might diminish the impact of the original politically incorrect collection; hence, the redundant descriptive addition to the title as "Complete and...