Best Selling Books by Ambrose Bierce

Moxon''s Master is a short story by Ambrose Bierce. Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (born June 24, 1842, assumed to have died sometime after December 26, 1913) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. He wrote the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and compiled a satirical lexicon The Devil''s Dictionary. His vehemence as a critic, his motto "Nothing matters", and the sardonic view of human nature that informed his work, all earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce". Despite his reputation as a searing critic, Bierce was known to encourage younger writers, including poet George Sterling and fiction writer W. C. Morrow. Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. His style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, impossible events and the theme of war. In 1913, Bierce traveled to Mexico to gain first-hand experience of the Mexican Revolution. While traveling with rebel troops, he disappeared without a trace. Bierce was considered a master of pure English by his contemporaries, and virtually everything that came from his pen was notable for its judicious wording and economy of style. He wrote in a variety of literary genres. His short stories are held among the best of the 19th century, providing a popular following based on his roots. He wrote realistically of the terrible things he had seen in the war in such stories as "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", "The Boarded Window", "Killed at Resaca", and "Chickamauga". In addition to his ghost and war stories, he also published several volumes of poetry. His Fantastic Fables anticipated the ironic style of grotesquerie that became a more common genre in the 20th century. One of Bierce''s most famous works is his much-quoted book, The Devil''s Dictionary, originally an occasional newspaper item which was first published in book form in 1906 as The Cynic''s Word Book. It consists of satirical definitions of English words which lampoon cant and political double-talk. Under the entry "leonine", meaning a single line of poetry with an internal rhyming scheme, he included an apocryphal couplet written by the fictitious "Bella Peeler Silcox" (i.e. Ella Wheeler Wilcox) in which an internal rhyme is achieved in both lines only by mispronouncing the rhyming words: The electric light invades the dunnest deep of Hades. Cries Pluto, ''twixt his snores: "O tempora! O mores! Bierce''s twelve-volume Collected Works were published in 1909, the seventh volume of which consists solely of The Devil''s Dictionary, the title Bierce himself preferred to The Cynic''s Word Book.

What if words could reveal the absurdities of human nature? "The Devil’s Dictionary" by Ambrose Bierce offers a satirical exploration of language and society, presenting a collection of witty and cynical definitions that challenge conventional wisdom. Set against the backdrop of late 19th and early 20th century America, this work reflects the cultural and social dynamics of its time, capturing the spirit of an era marked by rapid industrialization and social change. Bierce, known for his sharp wit and dark humor, uses this dictionary to critique the follies and vices of humanity, turning everyday words into biting commentary on human behavior. Themes of irony, skepticism, and the human condition permeate the text, inviting readers to question the true meaning behind the words they use. Through his clever redefinitions, Bierce exposes the contradictions and hypocrisies of society, encouraging a deeper reflection on the nature of truth and morality. By engaging with this work, readers gain insight into the complexities of language and its power to shape perception, offering a timeless perspective on the human experience.

This modestly priced volume includes 23 stories in all — many of Bierce''s best, from the Civil War classic "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" to the renowned horror tale "The Moonlit Road."

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (1842-1914) was an American editorialist, journalist, short-story writer and satirist, today best known for his The Devil''s Dictionary (1911). Bierce''s lucid, unsentimental style has kept him popular when many of his contemporaries have been consigned to oblivion. His dark, sardonic views and vehemence as a critic earned him the nickname, "Bitter Bierce." Such was his reputation that it was said his judgment on any piece of prose or poetry could make or break a writer''s career. His short stories are considered among the best of the 19th century, providing a popular following based on his roots. He wrote realistically of the terrible things he had seen in the war in such stories as An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Killed at Resaca, and Chickamauga. His works include: The Fiend''s Delight (1873), Cobwebs from an Empty Skull (1874), Black Beetles in Amber (1892), Fantastic Fables (1899), Shapes of Clay (1903), Write It Right, and A Son of the Gods and A Horseman in the Sky (1909), and A Cynic Looks at Life (1912).Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and Civil War veteran. Bierce''s book The Devil''s Dictionary was named as one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration.

This timeless work of biting satirical wit presents an A-to-Z lexicon of common English terms, and what we actually mean by them. The renowned author Ambrose Bierce produced classic works in a range of genres, from fantasy and horror to realistic tales drawn from his experience in the Civil War. Among his most beloved books is The Devil''s Dictionary, a work of wry humor that remains one of the funniest assessments of American language and manners. Through epigrams, essays, vignettes, and verse, Bierce skewers religion, class, politics, romance, and more. Included, you''ll find such pithy definitions as: · Acquaintance, n.: A person whom we know well enough to borrow from but not well enough to lend to. · Bride, n.: A woman with a great future behind her. · Consult, v.: To seek another''s approval of a course already decided on. And many others.

By the light of a tallow candle, which had been placed on one end of a rough table, a man was reading something written in a book. It was an old account book, greatly worn; and the writing was not, apparently, very legible, for the man sometimes held the page close to the flame of the candle to get a stronger light upon it. The shadow of the book would then throw into obscurity a half of the room, darkening a number of faces and figures; for besides the reader, eight other men were present. Seven of them sat against the rough log walls, silent and motionless, and, the room being small, not very far from the table. By extending an arm any one of them could have touched the eighth man, who lay on the table, face upward, partly covered by a sheet, his arms at his sides. He was dead.

A young man works for his father at his dog-oil business whilst simultaneously helping his mother with her work as well. But when his duties for each of his parents overlap one day, the consequences are terrible and tragic. HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

If we could only put aside our civil pose and say what we really thought, the world would be a lot like the one alluded to in The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary. There, a bore is “a person who talks when you wish him to listen,” and happiness is “an agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another.” This is the most comprehensive, authoritative edition ever of Ambrose Bierce’s satiric masterpiece. It renders obsolete all other versions that have appeared in the book’s ninety-year history. 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 Bierce targets just about any pursuit, from matrimony to immortality, that allows our willful failings and excesses to shine forth. This new edition is based on David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi’s exhaustive investigation into the book’s writing and publishing history. All of Bierce’s known satiric definitions are here, including previously uncollected, unpublished, and alternative entries. Definitions dropped from previous editions have been restored while nearly two hundred wrongly attributed to Bierce have been excised. For dedicated Bierce readers, an introduction and notes are also included. Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary is a classic that stands alongside the best work of satirists such as Twain, Mencken, and Thurber. This unabridged edition will be celebrated by humor fans and word lovers everywhere.

This volume contains a generous selection of Bierce''s poems: they are alternately ironic, melancholy, bitter, and wickedly amusing. There are also fifteen essays and letters on poetry, poets, and such topics as "Wit and Humor" and "The Passing of Satire." Certainly there have been few authors more intimately familiar with wit and satire than the brilliant, iconoclastic Bierce. As editor M. E.

Begun in a weekly paper in 1881, Bierce''s "dictionary" of barbed definitions includes cynical epigrams, maxims, essays, and verses that illustrate the irreverent humor of the nineteenth-century satirist as he lampoons cherished American traditions.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 - circa 1914) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. He wrote the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and compiled a satirical lexicon, The Devil''s Dictionary. His vehemence as a critic, his motto "Nothing matters", and the sardonic view of human nature that informed his work, all earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce"

The dictionary was never meant to be an extensive project, and the entries don''t go any further than the one for "Lord." As Bierce writes in the preface, "As it was no part of the author''s purpose to define all the words in the language, or even to make a complete alphabetical series, the stopping-place of the book was determined by considerations of bulk. ... In the event of this volume proving acceptable to that part of the reading public to which in humility it is addressed—enlightened souls who prefer dry wines to sweet, sense to sentiment, good English to slang, and wit to humor—there may possibly be another if the author be spared for the compiling." Apparently it was acceptable, as a second edition, this time called The Devil''s Dictionary, was published in 1911.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842[2] - circa 1914[3]) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. He wrote the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and compiled a satirical lexicon, The Devil''s Dictionary. His vehemence as a critic, his motto "Nothing matters", and the sardonic view of human nature that informed his work, all earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce". Despite his reputation as a searing critic, Bierce was known to encourage younger writers, including the poets George Sterling and Herman George Scheffauer and the fiction writer W. C. Morrow. Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. His style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, impossible events, and the theme of war. In 1913, Bierce traveled to Mexico to gain first-hand experience of the Mexican Revolution. He was rumored to be traveling with rebel troops, and was not seen again.

Title: An Occurrence at Owl Creek BridgeAuthor: Ambrose BierceLanguage: English