Book Description
This sumptuously illustrated volume analyzes artists' representations of angels and demons and heaven and hell from the Judeo-Christian tradition and describes how these artistic portrayals evolved over time. As with other books in the Guide to Imagery series, the goal of this volume is to
help contemporary art enthusiasts decode the symbolic meanings in the great masterworks of Western Art.
The first chapter traces the development of images of the Creation and the Afterworld from descriptions of them in the Scriptures through their evolution in later literary and philosophical works. The following two chapters examine artists' depictions of the two paths that humans may take, the path
of evil or the path of salvation, and the punishments or rewards found on each. A chapter on the Judgment Day and the end of the world explores portrayals of the mysterious worlds between life and death and in the afterlife. Finally, the author looks at images of angelic and demonic beings
themselves and how they came to be portrayed with the physical attributes--wings, halos, horns, and cloven hooves--with which we are now so familiar.
Thoroughly researched by and expert in the field of iconography, Angels and Demons in Art will delight readers with an interest in art or religious symbolism.
Customer Reviews:
Over-rated.......2007-08-28
While this is an interesting compilation of angels and demons in art, it is incomplete. There are several key pieces of art that are completely missing and deemed not worthy of mentioning by the author or editors.
The images are poorly reproduced, and so small as to leave me wondering if I was able to interperet the art for myself, or just left be told what I'm supposed to think it means. The orginization of the chapters is well done, even though it roughly follows the biblical presentation of such.
Within seconds of opening the cover, I felt as if it was writing down to the reader. The inane descriptors targeting key points in the presented art work are reminiscent of a children's television show presenting colours and alphabet to pre-school children.
If you are looking for a Cliff's notes book for art interpretation, or a religious education course, this might be a passable resource for one term paper or reference for further research. I personally wouldn't use it as a resource for teaching or writing beyond those means.
Angels and Demons in Art.......2007-03-10
I first checked this book out at the library. No special reason. I was captivated by the wonderful descriptions of paintings that I had not seen before. Except maybe many years ago in Art history classes. I so loved the book that I purchased it!!! I also ordered another one in the Guide to Imagery series sight unseen.
Perfect!.......2006-06-21
If there was a review higher than five stars, this book should get it! The cover alone deserves five stars! This book is the single most perfect book I've seen on angels! It's wonderful! The artwork, the explanations of the different categories of angels; it's all perfect! If you're interested in angels, this is a must have for any collection!
Book Description
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 Ambrose Bierce targets just about any pursuit, from matrimony to immortality, that allows our willful failings and excesses to shine forth.
This is the most extensively annotated edition of a work by Bierce ever published, and the first edition of The Devil's Dictionary to provide detailed bibliographical information on every entry. It will be celebrated by wits and word lovers everywhere.
First time in paperback.
Customer Reviews:
Great Gift.......2007-08-01
This is a great book. The sarcasm and the definitions are the best. If you know someone who is a book lover or just enjoys quick wit-this book is for them. I bought two more just for gifts. It's one of those books that you can always pick up and find a smile...
A Beautiful Mind.......2006-04-26
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.
A very strange dictionary.......2005-04-07
skep·tic also scep·tic (skptk)
n.
1.One who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally
accepted conclusions.
2.One inclined to skepticism in religious matters.
3.Philosophy.
a.often Skeptic An adherent of a school of skepticism.
b.Skeptic A member of an ancient Greek school of skepticism, especially that of Pyrrho of
Elis (360?-272? B.C.).
[Latin Scepticus, disciple of Pyrrho of Elis, from Greek Skeptikos, from skeptesthai, to examine.
See spek- in Indo-European Roots.]
cyn·ic (snk)
n.
1.A person who believes all people are motivated by selfishness.
2.A person whose outlook is scornfully and often habitually negative.
3.Cynic A member of a sect of ancient Greek philosophers who believed virtue to be the only
good and self-control to be the only means of achieving virtue.
[Latin cynicus, Cynic philosopher, from Greek kunikos, from kun, kun-, dog. See kwon- in
Indo-European Roots.]
Such are the real dictionary definitions of the stance which Ambrose Bierce adopted in considering the world. Beginning in 1881 and continuing to 1906, he created a series of sardonic word definitions of his own. Many of these were collected and published as The Cynic's Word Book, which he later protested was "a name which the author had not the power to reject or happiness to approve." So in 1911, he pulled together a collection that was more to his own liking and called it The Devil's Dictionary. The entries are a tad uneven in quality, but most are amusing and some are great. Each reader will have his own favorites, some of mine are as follows :
ACQUAINTANCE, n. A person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to. A degree of friendship called slight when its object is poor or obscure, and intimate when he is rich or famous.
ALLIANCE, n. In international politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third.
BIGOT, n. One who is obstinately and zealously attached to an opinion that you do not entertain.
BORE, n. A person who talks when you wish him to listen.
CONSULT, v.i. To seek another's disapproval of a course already
decided on.
CYNIC, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be. Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking out a cynic's eyes to improve his vision.
DICTIONARY, n. A malevolent literary device for cramping the
growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This
dictionary, however, is a most useful work.
DISCRIMINATE, v.i. To note the particulars in which one person or thing is, if possible, more objectionable than another.
EDUCATION, n. That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding.
FUTURE, n. That period of time in which our affairs prosper, our
friends are true and our happiness is assured.
HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools.
IDIOT, n. A member of a large and powerful tribe whose influence in human affairs has always been dominant and controlling. The Idiot's activity is not confined to any special field of thought or action, but "pervades and regulates the whole." He has the last word in everything; his decision is unappealable. He sets the fashions and opinion of taste, dictates the limitations of speech and circumscribes conduct with a dead-line.
POLITICS, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of
principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.
And, my choice for the very best among them :
CONSERVATIVE, n. A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others.
By all means, read it and pick out your own; you're sure to find a few that tickle your fancy.
Loved it..........2004-08-31
I love all things cynical and witty so I found the Unabridged Devil's Dictionary really appealing (I tracked the book down after reading a few exerpts on a quotes website). If you like the book (yet to buy, use the see inside feature to see if it appeals to your sense of humour) I also recommend Molvania by Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch as well as The Soddit by A.R.R.R. Roberts.
I love sardonic humor.......2003-06-30
I'll admit it, I'm a tech dork. I work for an Internet company and this book is perfect for tag and signature lines for email. Although on a more serious note the definitions found here are not the dictionary definitions but the definitions that modern day society has reflected upon them. While a word, item, or identification for something may mean one thing in the dicitonary, we tend to stereotype or re-clasify it in our times as something completly different. Read the excerpts for some good examples. While the book is a compilation of pieces written back in the turn of the 20th centurey, a lot of the sarcastic or sardonic definitions still hold true. Definately an interseting book.
Book Description
"The Devil's Dictionary" was begun in a weekly paper in 1881. In this book, Ambrose Bierce skewers far more than the world of politics, but it is the political realm where Bierce's observations are astonishingly and depressingly relevant a century later.
Download Description
The Devil's Dictionary was begun in a weekly paper in 1881. In this book , Ambrose Bierce skewers far more the world of politics, but it is the political realm where Bierce's observations are astonishingly and depressingly relevant a century later. Please Note: This book is in easy to read true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher. This eBook has bookmarks at Chapter Headings and is fully printable.
Customer Reviews:
A most accurate Dictionary.......2007-08-28
.
If you, from time-to-time, need a little whimsy in your day; a little humor to add a smile when else it would not shine, then open to any page and read at will. You will be rewarded with a chuckle and perhaps a laugh and perhaps a new perspective on the word you just learned.
If you think you have a potent vocabulary, read this book; because you will get the most from it. These definitions, while not literal, are in fact most accurate and as it seems, timeless.
It must have been a great privilege to know and converse with such a man as Ambrose Bierce.
review of the Devil's Dictionary.......2007-05-16
Sharp-wittewd and pointed "defitions" of common day words from the 1800's that still hold humor and truth.
An Authentic Classic.......2007-02-08
This is a wonderful book. It shows that Bierce was a truly modern realist with a sense of humor. Bierce's definitions were pithy and funny one hundred years ago, and they still are.
This particular edition is a reprint of Bierce's original authorized edition which is becoming hard to find. Most publishers seem to feel the need to delete some of the politically incorrect definitions that were part of the time and place of America around the turn of the twentieth century. Others can't seem to help themselves; they add their own definitions which are often not funny or clever and are nowhere near authentic. It is like having an amateur artist add a few brushstrokes, here and there, to a Rembrandt painting. This edition does not do that injustice to this wonderful book.
Good Read.......2007-01-10
It was an excellent read and I could not put it down. Very tantalizing for anyone who prefers to be pulled into a story.
A great addition to your collection.......2006-01-11
Well worth having in your personal collection -- very entertaining. :)
Average customer rating:
- This is no 'sloppy' work!
- Wonderful book!
- Throw me an anchor.......
- A lovely book full of seagoing lore...
- A great little book for "the head".
|
When a Loose Cannon Flogs a Dead Horse There's the Devil to Pay: Seafaring Words in Everyday Speech
Olivia A. Isil
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The Sailor's Illustrated Dictionary: Full Explanations of more than 8,500 Terms and Phrases Used by Sailors, Boaters, and Seamen
ASIN: 0070328773 |
Book Description
Have you ever wondered about the origin of "son of a gun," "flotsam and jetsam," or "hunky-dory"? You'll find the nautical derivation of these expressions and more than 250 others in this collection of nautical metaphors and colloquialisms. In addition, this book includes thought-provoking and entertaining examples of these words drawn from literature, movies, and song, and contains sections of legends of the sea and weather lore. Fascinating reading for sailors and language enthusiasts alike. Here's the scuttlebutt: Barge right in and swallow the anchor, and let's chew the fat and splice the main brace 'til we're three sheets to the wind. Listen, you son of a sea cook, I'm tired of minding my P's and Q's. I tell you, I'm all at sea, and this is the bitter end. Nothing I can do will keep this ship on an even keel. Hells bells! You think I didn't tell it to the old man? Delivered a broadside, I did, but he just called me a loose cannon. Maybe I caught him between wind and water. Listen, mate. You'd better bootleg a bible aboard. We're sailing under false colors, and where we're headed it's cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. It's Davy Jones' locker I'm talking about. The crew was scraped from the bottom of the barrel. They don't know the ropes, and anyway they're deserting like rats from a sinking ship. It's time to fish or cut bait, mate, or there'll be the devil to pay. No use flogging a dead horse. Let's stay armed to the teeth and look for any port in a storm. There'll be nothing but flotsam and jetsam when this tub goes down the hatch.
Customer Reviews:
This is no 'sloppy' work!.......2007-08-23
There are many books that inform us of the number of phrases and words that originated in the days of sail and have become part of every landlubber's English voacabulary. Olivia Isil's book takes a fresh and more comprehensive look at these derivations. Immensely readable, entertaining and informative. Essential to have by the bedside or in the yacht's locker to settle arguments!
Wonderful book!.......2007-03-04
I'm now having to purchase my third copy of this book! I buy a copy, loan it out and then never see it again! It is truly amazing to find out how many of our colloquialisms come from the sea. By this book and you will enjoy every minute of it.
Throw me an anchor..............2002-02-28
PLEASE!! Forgive me for being aloof...all at sea.Barge In,its
ok.I just don't get it. I've read better cereal boxes.
A lovely book full of seagoing lore..........2000-03-26
This book is a gem! It's full of history and lore related to the sea and those who sail upon it. It has over a hundred pages of interesting information regarding the derivation of words and phrases used in everyday speech. My husband was raised on the seacoast of Nova Scotia, and I've spent many summers on the coast of North Carolina, so we are no strangers to the sea and sailing. This book made a perfect gift for him this past Christmas.
A great little book for "the head"........1999-12-17
It is intriguing to learn how many familiar expressions in our everyday speech have their origins at sea (having "washed ashore" as the author puts it). Many of these sayings started out as fairly technical naval terms.
For instance the "bitter end" is the tail-end of an anchor line that may disappear overboard if not properly secured (along with a sailor's reputation). To "flake out" means to lay chain out on deck so it may be inspected for weak links.
And I won't "let the cat out of the bag" (another entry) in regards to the ever-popular "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey", except to say that it's NOTHING CLOSE to what you think it means! As always the author's voice is clear and refreshing as she recounts coaxing the explanation out of an old salt. (I can't help thinking that it is the woman's perspective on the subject that helps make this little book so delightful.)
The book is divided up into "Metaphors and Colloquialisms", "Wind, Waves and Weather", and "Yarns of the Sea, Legends, Myths and Superstitions". I recommend a randomized reading approach to best savor the little surprises.
Book Description
A guide to the most useful and common Japanese proverbs. Proverbs are given in kanji, hiragana, and romaji. English definitions and cultural explanations are included. Recommended for all students of the Japanese language, and anyone with an interest in Japanese culture.
Customer Reviews:
Kotowaza jiten.......2006-01-29
This is quite a good book for those who would like to study or entretain themselves with japanese proverbs. Its organization (alfabetic order) lets you quickly find any kotowaza you need regardless the subject. Also the fact that it comes with hiragana and kanji gives even a richer information for those who appreciate japanese culture.
Worth the money.
A serious approach to Japanese proverbs.......2005-09-07
Most Japanese proverbs books contain more cute drawings than proverbs. This book is different. Not only does it contain more proverbs than the other books on the market, it also contains usage examples for some of them. This is a Japanese proverbs book that was written for serious students of the language, rather than readers who simply have some passing cultural curiosity in the kotowaza.
Book Description
Know what academic freedom is? Or what it's come to mean? What's affirmative about affirmative action these days? Think you're up on the problem of sexual harassment on campus? Or know how much the university depends on part-time faculty?
Academic Keywords is a witty, informed, and sometimes merciless assessment of today's campus, an increasingly corporatized institution that may have bitten off more than its administration is ready to chew. Cary Nelson and Steve Watt use the format of a dictionary to present stories and reflections on some of the most pressing issues affecting higher education in America. From the haphazard treatment of graduate students to the use and abuse of faculty (as well as abuses commited by faculty), Nelson and Watt present a compelling and, at times, enraging report on the state of the campus.
If you're working for a university, studying at one, or simply interested in what's wrong with American education, you won't want to miss Academic Keywords.
Customer Reviews:
Handbook for Inmates & Wardens at Panopticon U........2007-03-01
I agree with both the positive and the mixed reviews for this compendium. Having read (and reviewed on Amazon) Nelson & Watt's essay collection "Office Hours," among other critiques of the corporatized, "quality-driven" competitive bean-counting mentality that's overtaken higher education today in America, I found predictable repetition about unionization, the research vs. teaching mentality, and the plight of part-time and non-tenured full-time faculty. I also found wit, insight and verve in their style, familiar since I have read Nelson's and Michael Berube's earlier critiques.
I cannot be entirely objective, however. As a full-time instructor at a for-profit but legitimate university, and as a graduate from one of the nation's top research universities (the department from where I earned my PhD in the 90s is now ranked #10) who had a diss. advisor among the "superstars," there was much of interest in these pages. That interest sparked my resentment, admittedly, as well as my sympathy.
The defense of many of the research university's more arcane pursuits, however laudable in the liberal arts and (when the spirit moves them) the sciences, does appear rather idealized given today's budget pressures. I would like more classics and Sanskrit and art history, too. But students under enormous financial debt, often where I teach (if not at Indiana or Illinois U.) older men and women who are supporting families and working at full-time jobs, do not look so often for enlightenment. The university for them and for those of us who must teach under such constraints is not the place where Nelson & Watt thrive. I wish it was different, sure.
While I lament this attitude and try to counter the nature of undergrads to demand credentialing rather than enriching inspiration from their instructors and peers, I also realize how soaring tuition and debt from student loans can push grads away from the more arcane or rarified fields of scholarship. The degree represents practical knowledge in most B.A. and M.A.-granting programs. Or else, students will not pay exorbitant fees.
Countering this market mentality at the university that does not fit into the old-fashioned charming college town-and-gown vision needs more conviction than the recommendation to agitate. We have no protection, no unions. At many colleges in cities today, an appeal to Joe Hill for faculty not to get angry but to organize seems quaint. My idealism clashes with my need for a regular income as a college instructor. No 2/0 teaching load for me and thousands of my peers, no sabbatical or pension. What do Nelson & Watt counsel? More tenure positions will mean, as they note, fewer opportunities for PhDs as a cohort to teach, given supply oustrips demand. Programs are admitting fewer candidates than when I attended grad school, but still the appeal of the classroom endures for many of us. Alas, I doubt if the Teamsters these days would be welcomed at most campuses to help us line-level workers campaign for tenure, in the thousands of campuses where the bottom-line mentality has already triumphed.
I commend Nelson & Watt for their continued advocacy for the rest of us, especially in the liberal arts, who labor as field hands and migrant workers in the knowledge industry. But being tenured and privileged even as they gaze out of their elevated perch at the newer batch of PhDs toiling below at piecework pay (1500-2000 papers can be graded a year by a composition instructor; college teaching at this level can be "America's lowest paid legal job.") does distance their advocacy for the rest of us. We have little hope of entering their ivory tower. And yes, we knew what we were getting into in the average of 8-10 years it took to earn our doctorates.
Engels was a factory owner even as he agitated for the proles, so I suppose it makes sense that Marxian critics like Nelson take up the cause. This compares favorably with the disdain of the MLA and AHA and vast cadres of their colleagues with tenure, as far as can be judged from their public attitudes. Drawing attention to inequalities on campus and not only on some benighted tropical plantation or crowded favela is an imperative. Nelson & Watt correctly urge this be done by teachers for students.
From my position, on the other hand, pressuring for job security and basic health care seems quixotic for those under "at will employment" and short-term contracts. Benefits have been eroded from non-academic labor in America, so it is hardly likely that Nelson & Watt's prescriptions for organized dissent and sustained protest will succeed on many campuses. Especially when so many under- and unemployed PhDs, not to mention grad students and TAs, wait to fill the ranks of our underfunded, somewhat despised, but still intellectually attractive (if only in our dreams much of the time) careers.
I wish that Nelson & Watt had delved deeper into conditions at non-research institutions. At Indiana's and Illinois' massive main campuses, they seem to forget about community colleges, proprietary colleges, distance learning, and hybrid college programs now competing with the old ivy-walled Gothic-spired quads that the authors surely stroll with pleasure. Many tenured faculty dismiss the plaints of the rest of the academic laborers as sour grapes from the unworthy.
Nelson & Watt document how much competition exists for so few positions, how retiring faculty are not being replaced by tenure-line hires, and how rationalization, commodification, and assembly-line production turn our campuses today into Taylorized models of efficiency. This tendency to regard teaching as only a commodity to be measured for "outcomes" in standards in the 00s has only increased. Platforms bought by universities require instructors to place course content on-line. Benefits accrue for faculty and students--these by the way are overlooked in Nelson & Watt. But, dangers await. Course content when uploaded opens to administrative scrutiny of the instructor's levels of "production" to meet student demand. Academic freedom vs. fulfillment of what a student expects for their tuition appear on a collision course, given the supervision that electronics allows for those higher placed to observe faculty 24/7.
My hope is that Nelson & Watt and their younger followers attend to the situation outside the ivory tower more, in these electronic classrooms turned sweatshops. These colleges characterize "non-traditional" models that provide a student with many more options than strolling to a pleasant seminar room in Bloomington or Champaign-Urbana. I type this from a site that's freeway close, in a corporate park, but it's an accredited university granted status under the same licensing agencies that monitor Indiana's and Illinois' campuses.
The condition of college teaching a generation or so after Nelson & Watt earned tenure speaks volumes. This volume's a start, but much more damage to the integrity of the scholarly world of publishing, tenure, merit, and intellectual wisdom has been made since this book came out in 1999. It needs updating. Unfortunately, a sequel may reveal little progress has been made, if any. After reading Academic Keywords, the momentum for the bottom-line university that accelerated over the 90s-- I realize in 2007--has gained speed, force, and heft.
Insufficiently devilish.......2001-02-24
For two authors who promise to shake things up a bit, cary Nelson and Stephen Watt really don't do much here except snipe at people with different politics then their own in a disappointingly unfunny heavy-handed style. They identify the stakes as being high, and promise to say much for the benefit of underemployed Ph. Ds, but in the end they seem mostly intent on settling old scores.
The book only becomes amusing (unintentionally) when Nelson and Watt go through all kinds of backbending to justify the secure positions of themselves and their close friends in the institutions--why should Stanley Fish be faulted for making so much money, they argue, when academics in the sciences or law, or prfoessional athletes for that matter, make so much more money than *he* does? It seems as if its other people's privilege Nelson and comapny want to put an end to--not their own.
Wake up! Read this book *now*.......2001-01-16
I picked up _Academic Keywords_ during the 2000 meeting of the American Historical Association. It looked intriguing (when's the last time a book with "dictionary" in the subtitle had a glossy depiction of Satan on the cover?). Not one to judge a book entirely by its cover, I flipped through _Academic Keywords_ and was overcome by the feeling that I had better buy it. I am so glad I did. Remember Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"? I feel as if I have seen the sun, and now I want to shout in the "cave" of higher education, "Read this! React! Refuse to be assimilated into the corporate university!"
For the past two years, I have heard fellow graduate students in the humanities and the social sciences moaning about the job market, university administration(s), health insurance, and what a raw deal teaching assistants get. I hoped they were overstating things, but Cary Nelson and Stephen Watt backed up the litanies with not only further anecdotal evidence but with facts and figures. I challenge all undergrads going on to graduate school, all graduate students, all adjuncts, all untenured and tenured full-time faculty, and all university administrators to read _Academic Keywords_.
Grad students, it's time to organize, unionize, and refuse to allow ourselves to be exploited. Full-time faculty, it's time to refuse to profit from the exploitation of your students and colleagues. It's time to break the codes of silence and complicity with university administrations. Sure, scholars stay in academia because we love our disciplines; we're not in this for the money. However, as Cary Nelson and Stephen Watt argue, one cannot eat prestige and drink respect.
If you've ever been a grad student...........2000-11-25
Anyone who has ever experienced the uniquely sado-masochistic experience of graduate school--especially in the humanities--who has ever dreamed of becoming a (tenured) professor only have those hopes dashed...this book is for you! It sheds light and helps you at least understand the nature of the beast (no pun intended). While you're reading this, try see if you can an EXCELLENT pair of student documentary films that make nice companion pieces..._University, Inc._ and _Subtext of a Yale Education_. They were part of the so-called McCollege Tour this past year and the brilliant student filmmakers (one of whom I met in person) were very well aquainted with Cary Nelson & Michael Berube and their sharply critical books about the state of modern academia.
Basically, a typical grad student's chances of landing a secure assistant professor's job at a major university is about the same as your typical college baseball player joining the major leagues after school...more than likely this person is going to stay in the minor leagues forever...translated to the academic analogy that means endless, untenured/temporary lecturer/instructor positions, jostling between several teaching gigs at different junior colleges, etc, living at near poverty level in the process. The light Nelson sheds on this reveals injustices that are truly scandalous...and you thought public school teachers aren't paid enough! (They aren't--but compared to the peons of Higher Ed...)
I laughed very hard (and often bitterly) reading this book and got my monthly fix of moral indignation. As someone who attended grad school at Rice University, I can definitely relate. The president of Rice recently issued a manifesto that essentially argued for running the university like a business. Funny, I thought a university was an institution of higher learning, not a business... Cary Nelson elucidates very effectively the coming prominence of the "University, Inc." mentality among university administrators...
Interesting Commentary? Perhaps. Witty? Definitely Not!.......1999-06-30
After having read the positive reviews, I was rather disappointed that this book fell flat of my expectations. While the concept is an appealing way to relate the changes in higher education, the book lacked the wit it promised to deliver. Often, the anecdotes seemed too simplistic and one-sided; the writing often seemed to lack subtlety and craftsmanship need to enhance the content. My one consolation: I did not buy this in hardback.
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Dictionary of Gods & Goddesses, Devils & Demons
Manfred Lurker
Manufacturer: Routledge
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ASIN: 0415039436 |
Book Description
A Devil's Dictionary of Business Jargon is an insider's guide to the new Corpspeak, with irreverent definitions of the words used in business to disguise the real intrigue, treachery and incompetence taking place behind the scenes. More than 500 cynical definitions in a dictionary format enhanced by over 100 quotations from sources as varied as John D. Rockefeller, Heather Reisman, Robin Williams and Jack Welch.
Book Description
This dictionary covers, in one volume, over 1800 of the most important deities and demons from around the world. From classical Greek and Roman mythology to the gods of Eastern Europe and Mesopotamia, from Nordic giants to Islamic jinns and Egyptian monsters, it is packed with descriptions of the figures most worshipped and feared around the world and across time. Fully cross-referenced and featuring two handy guides to the functions and attributes shared by those featured, this dictionary is the essential resource for anyone interested in comparative religion and the mythology of the ancient and contemporary worlds.
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Relatos-Diccionario del diablo/Tales of Soldiers and Civilians (In the Midst of Life) Can Such Things Be? The Devil's Dictionary (Letras Universales / Universal Writings)
Ambrose Bierce
Manufacturer: Ediciones Catedra S.A.
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ASIN: 843761760X |
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- At Wit's End: What You Need to Know When a Loved One Is Diagnosed with Addiction and Mental Illness
- Blue Grit: True Democrats Take Back Politics from the Politicians
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- Boynton's Greatest Hits: Volume II (The Going to Bed Book, Horns to Toes, Opposites, But Not the Hippopotamus)
- Comedy Writing Secrets, 2nd Edition: The Best-Selling Book on How to Think Funny, Write Funny, Act Funny, And Get Paid For It
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- Conversations with God : An Uncommon Dialogue (Book 1)
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