The Devil’s Dictionary

Ambrose Bierce's *The Devil's Dictionary* is a satirical lexicon, a collection of acerbic, often cynical, definitions that invert conventional understanding. From "Acquaintance, n. A person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to" to "Logic, n. The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding," Bierce skewers everything from love and politics to religion and journalism. Originally serialized in newspapers, this definitive edition compiles his complete, unvarnished wit, often attributing poetic and dramatic interludes to fictional personae like the prolific Father Gassalasca Jape, a delightful self-referential jest.