The Devil's Dictionary

"Politeness, n. The most acceptable hypocrisy." In this extraordinary work of scathing satire, Ambrose Bierce provided new humorous definitions of the words that formed the lexicon of contemporary American life. Accumulated over three decades for a series of magazines and newspapers, the entries in The Devil's Dictionary painted a revealing portrait of late 19th-century American life, with all its contradictions and hypocrisies laid bare. Bierce's fantastic wit and incredible gift for irony shine through this true masterpiece of American literature.