The devil's dictionary

A word book, straight up, with a twist, The Devil's Dictionary is an American classic. A Yankee Oscar Wilde with a wicked edge to his tongue, Ambrose Bierce, friend and rival of Mark Twain was one of America's first great writers and journalists. His razor-sharp wit and underlying rage against hypocrisy are perfectly complemented by Ralph Steadman's equally incisive pen-and-ink illustrations.