Humorous Quotations by Ned Sherrin

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
We all admire those clever minds with the cunning ability to spit witty repartee at a moment's notice. The Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations compiles a vast collection of such noted quotes -- some infamous, some obscure -- into one accessible guide, alphabetized by subject, from Acting to Youth, and by source, from Bud Abbott to Jerry Zucker. You'll leaf through and declare, "I wish I had said that!" on more than one occasion.

From contemporary voices like Dorothy Parker, P. J. O'Rourke, and Woody Allen to canonical writers like Charles Dickens and Evelyn Waugh to legends like Mae West and Bob Hope, the approximately 5,000 quotes are fodder for amusement and impetus to sharpen one's own verbal skills. While some could be considered odd choices that don't necessarily fit the humor bill, most inspire at least a subtle smirk, such as a movie studio's official comment on Fred Astaire ("Can't act. Slightly bald. Also dances") and Tony Curtis's response when asked what it was like to kiss Marilyn Monroe ("It's like kissing Hitler").

Still, this dense reference guide packs in the showstoppers (Jack Warner on hearing that Ronald Reagan was seeking nomination as governor of California: "No, no. Jimmy Stewart for governor -- Ronald Reagan for his best friend") and the unforgettables ("Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room").

This reference should be a requirement on the bookshelf of every writer, reader, and lover of the history of the human race. (Karen Mancuso)

From the Publisher

In The Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations, Fourth Edition, the late writer and satirist Ned Sherrin has gathered more than 5,000 quotations in a rollicking collection drawn from an international cast of humorists and pundits, ranging from Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Oscar Wilde to Groucho Marx, Monty Python, and Lenny Bruce.
Arranging these quotes under more than 200 headings, from Actors and Acting (including Dorothy Parker's famous barb on Katherine Hepburn's Broadway debut, "She ran the whole gamut of the emotions from A to B") to Youth (such as Fran Lebowitz wry comment: "Remember that as a teenager you are at the last stage in your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you"), Sherrin collected the sharpest, the wittiest, the wryest in quips, put-downs, and one-liners. Now packed with even more quotes and covering more subjects than ever before, from Weddings to the Supernatural, Australia to Headlines, the book ranges from President Bush's "They misunderestimated me"; to James Agee's caustic review "Several tons of dynamite are set off in this picture, none of it under the right people"; to Jay Leno's comment when asked if the U.S. should draft a Constitution for Iraq: "We might as well give them ours. We aren't using it." The Dictionary also includes an index of authors, so you can track your favorite humorist throughout the book, and an index of keywords.
With quotations courtesy of comedians and playwrights, novelists and producers, cartoonists and moguls, soldiers and lawyers, and displaying all shades of humor, from dry to sly, subtle to wacky, and even unintended, The Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations will be theperfect resource for public speakers, writers, and anyone else who enjoys a sparkling line, a clever pun, or a wickedly clever riposte.

Library Journal

Cleverly edited by Sherrin, a writer, satirist, and presenter of BBC Radio 4's Loose Ends, a weekly satirical gathering of international news, this unique, single-volume work is both a compendium of quotes and also a great browsing book for people fascinated with language. From an international group of writers, humorists, actors, and public figures, Sherrin has collected almost 6000 quotes, some witty puns and one-liners and some possibly insulting. Along with traditional favorites such as Mark Twain, Mae West, and Shakespeare, this new edition updates the 1996 edition with more contemporary figures, such as Madonna, Jay Leno, and Mick Jagger. About 800 new quotations have been added, and some material has been cut. The themes are arranged alphabetically, from "Actors" to "Youth," and citations sourced from movies, plays, novels, literature, songs, radio programs, and many other places provide the author's name, birth and death dates, source of quote, and context. While some entries may seem "foreign" to a U.S. audience, most readers will find something to chuckle about as they browse. Covering a wide range of themes, authors, and time periods, this source is excellent for public speakers, writers, trivia buffs, and those who love to laugh. Highly recommended for medium-sized and larger libraries. Highly recommended. Bobbie Wrinkle, McCracken Cty. P.L., Paducah, KY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Perhaps no other work of reference has quite the same capacity as has the quotation book of making readers forget the original object of their search. A single page yields an abundance of distracting brilliancies, witticisms, and amazingly silly things to keep one going for hours. This omnivorous accumulation of roughly 5000 quotations is a triumph of browsing and a labor of love. Sherrin, presenter of BBC Radio 4's Loose Ends, has plenty of able predecessors in this crowded anthology pasture, but few are dedicated exclusively to observations of humorous bent. The names are famous and not so famous as quipstersMark Twain, Tom Stoppard, Stephen Leacock, Enrico Fermi, and Louis XIV, to name a fewand few of the selections are thigh-slappingly funny, but they do divert pleasingly. Recommended for quotation book collections.A.J. Anderson, GSLIS, Simmons Coll., Boston Ragsdale, Lyn. Vital Statistics on the Presidency: Washington to Clinton.

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up

This delightfully comprehensive and user-friendly source features more than 5000 quotations and 200 themes. Selections (and accompanying contextual notes) are listed by theme, then by author. Examples include quips from Oscar Wilde, who remarked that "The play was a great success, but the audience was a total failure" and from Dolly Parton, who said "I'm not offended at all, because I know I'm not a dumb blonde. I also know I'm not blonde." Cross-references appear throughout. The book is fun to simply browse, and users will find the thematic list and the author and keyword indexes (where entries are listed by theme and then quote number) most helpful for research. Purchase for libraries that lack prior editions or comparable sources such as Andrew Martin's Funny You Should Say That (Overlook, 2006).-Cara Moffett, Freelance Reviewer

School Library Journal

YAOne liners, insults, puns, and all manner of clever, witty, and hilariously funny quotes are included in this book. It's a great source for public speakers, writers, trivia buffs, browsers, and anyone who loves a laugh. Who, what, and when information is provided for each entry as well as a keyword and an author index. The 5,000 quotes cover a wide range of themes and time periods.

Details from Seller

• ISBN: 0199237166
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Pub. Date: October 2008
• Condition:

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• Table of Contents

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