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Also by James Geary:

I Is An Other, February 2011
Hardcover
Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists, October 2007
Hardcover
The World in a Phrase: A History of Aphorisms, November 2005
Hardcover

GEARY'S GUIDE TO THE WORLD'S GREAT APHORISTS
By: James Geary

Bestselling expert James Geary?s enlightening, entertaining compendium of wit and wisdom, from Sun Tzu to Desmond Tutu?and 350 aphorists in between.

Bloomsbury Publishing
October 2007
On Sale: October 2, 2007
448 pages
ISBN: 1596912529
EAN: 9781596912526
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction

Both an expert and a collector, James Geary has devoted his life to aphorisms—and the last few years to organizing, indexing, and even translating them. The result is Geary’s Guide, featuring classic writers like Voltaire, Twain, Shakespeare, and Nietzsche, but also more surprising figures, such as Woody Allen, Muhammad Ali, Emily Dickinson, and Mae West. Some of the aphorists appear in English for the first time. But it is more than just a conventional anthology. It is also an encyclopedia, containing brief biographies of each author in addition to a selection of his or her aphorisms. The book is a field guide, too, with aphorists organized into eight different “species,” such as Comics, Critics & Satirists; Icons & Iconoclasts; and Painters & Poets. The book’s two indexes—by author and by subject—make it easily searchable, while its unique organizational structure and Geary’s lively biographical entries make it different from all previous reference works.

Geary’s Guide is eminently suitable for browsing or for sustained reading. A comprehensive guide to our most intimate, idiosyncratic literary form, the book is an indispensable tool for writers and public speakers as well as essential reading for all language lovers.

Media Buzz

All Things Considered - October 2, 2007