Born in Ohio in 1842, journalist, short-story writer and critic Ambrose Bierce developed into one of this country's most celebrated and cynical wits -- a merciless American Swift whose literary barbs were aimed at folly, self-delusion, politics, business, religion, literature and the arts. In this splendid dictionary of epigrams, essays, verses and vignettes, you'll find over 1,000 pointed definitions, e.g. Congratulation (The civility of envy), Coward (One who in a perilous emergency thinks with his legs) and Historian (A broad-gauge gossip). Anyone who likes to laugh will love The Devil's Di... View More...
A fun and fascinating tour of the by-ways of British legal history. Did you know that the law requiring a London taxi driver to carry a bale of hay on top of his cab to feed the horse was in force until 1976? Or that Welshmen are not allowed in the city of Chester after dark? Nigel Cawthorne has unearthed an extraordinary (and sometimes hilarious) collection of the most bizarre and arcane laws that have been enacted over the centuries. Some of which, incredibly are still in force It is still illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour View More...
A guide to wild animals that are most often seen as flattened specimens along the road also provides information on the eating, mating, and locomotion habits of common roadside animals in North America. View More...
The diggerati, as Time magazine christened the '90s gardeners in a recent feature story, do not really want to garden; they just want to have a garden, which means they're more willing to spend money than time outdoors. For these diggerati with more greenbacks than green thumbs, the Smith & Hawken Gardening Catalog is the undisputed king of catalogs. Mailed out to more than 18 million customers, its lavish, four-color spreads hawk everything from outlandishly expensive tools and gardening fashions to river stones. Here to skewer the bible of pretentious gardening are Tom Connor and Jim Downey.... View More...
