The Devil's Dictionary Ambrose Bierce Regarded as one of the most influential American journalists of the late 19th and early 20th century, Ambrose Bierce was the Civil War veteran who was best known for his stories of the American Civil War and for his satirical witticisms. Written over several decades "The Devil's Dictionary" is the ultimate collection of his lexicon of satirical definitions. Bierce's earliest known definition was first published in 1867. Over the next several decades he would add numerous definitions to his satirical essays, in his weekly columns "The Town Crier" and "Prattle," and in his personal letters. These definitions were first collected in book form in 1906 as "The Cynic's Word Book" and later expanded as "The Devil's Dictionary" in 1911. Not a real dictionary, but rather a lampoon of the English language, "The Devil's Dictionary" provides satirical, witty and often politically pointed representations of the words that it seeks to "define." Regarded by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration as one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature," "The Devil's Dictionary" is a unique masterpiece of cynical wit. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.