Both an expert and a collector, James Geary has devoted his life to aphorismsβand the last few years to organizing, indexing, and even translating them. The result is Gearyβs 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 βspecies,β such as Comics, Critics & Satirists; Icons & Iconoclasts; and Painters & Poets. The bookβs two indexesβby author and by subjectβmake it easily searchable, while its unique organizational structure and Gearyβs lively biographical entries make it different from all previous reference works.
Gearyβs 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.
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