by Ned Sherrin ✦ Review by David Lorimer, December 2009
Fourth edition of what is becoming a classic work in the field the first to appear since the death of the editor, who compiled the first edition in 1994. The entries are organised by themes -- 200 of them -- with over 5,000 quotations in all. These appear in front, with an index of subjects at the back, thus enabling the reader to navigate around the book. The book can be opened at any page, for instance telegrams, where one reads: on arriving in Venice -- streets flooded, please advise. Or Chesterton's appeal to his wife: am in Market Harborough, where ought I to be? Or Dorothy Parker to Mrs Sherwood on the arrival of her baby: good work, Mary, we all knew you had it in you. Under Science we find Arthur C Clarke: if an elderly but distinguished scientist says that something is possible he is almost certainly right, but if he says that it is impossible he is very probably wrong. A great collection to dip in and out of.
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