Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations by Susan Ratcliffe (Editor)

Product Details

Synopsis

It is hard to imagine a more convenient reference than The Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Here at your fingertips are over 5,000 of the best things ever said on more than 300 topics. From Actors to Writing by way of America, Children, Cinema, Last Words, Lying, Marriage, Politicians, Sex and Taxes, it only takes a moment to find the perfect witticism, bon mot, or sage adage to suit any occasion. The fourth edition has many new themes, including Parties, Motivation, and Relationships. And it's portable--ideal for students, writers, or busy executives on the go.
Full of snappy one-liners and the world's greatest ideas, The Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations ranges from the wisdom of the Bible, Shakespeare, and the great philosophers to the more modern meditations of Bona, J. K. Rowling, and George W. Bush. There is Yogi Berra's immortal "The future ain't what it used to be," Robert Louis Stevenson "Wine is bottled poetry," and Lao Tzu's "A good traveller has no fixed plans." From literature to the law, music to the movies, readers will find an abundance of classic quotes and little known gems to enliven their speeches, conversation, reports and correspondence. And to make this volume even easier to use, a full index allows readers to search the text by author as well as theme.
Concise, convenient, authoritative, and affordable, The Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations allows readers to keep a traveling data base of entertainment and information right in their own pockets. It's as handy as it is indispensable--the perfect reference for home, school, and office.

Annotation

The first thematic quotations dictionary to be derived from Oxford's incomparable quotations file, this book puts over 4,000 quotations on more than 250 topics at readers' fingertips. From literature to the law, music to the movies, readers will find an abundance of classic quotes and little known gems to enliven speeches, conversation, reports and correspondence.

Library Journal

"I always have a quotation for everything-it saves original thinking," quipped novelist Dorothy Sayers. With the ever-expanding line of Oxford guides, there is little excuse for not having the right words at the right moment. Based on the venerated Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (now in its sixth edition), this little version (now in its third edition) is a portable thematic treasury of wit, wisdom, and stupidity throughout the centuries, with 4000 quotations-of which 700 are brand new. The portable companion's usability lies in quick access to topical quotations by a range of historical figures from Plato to Donald Rumsfeld. It's strictly a quotation finder, with none of the background context or citations from the full work and less than a quarter of that volume's entries. Bottom Line Libraries may not find much value in this personal edition and are better served by the core set as well as the more intermediate Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (2003). Although the Little dictionary beats them for quick look-ups, the lack of citations is likely to frustrate students. Ultimately, a fine volume for writers on the go but not library material. [A fully searchable version of the 2001 edition is available at www.askoxford.com/dictionaries.-Ed.]-Kelli Perkins, Herrick District Lib., Holland, MI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Biography

Susan Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Oxford Quotations Dictionaries, and has previously edited the Oxford Dictionary of Phrase, Saying and Quotation and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.