Viking Book of Aphorisms: A Personal Selection
by W. H. Auden (Editor) 
, Louis Kronenberger (Editor)
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Description
An anthology of pithy sayings dealing with man's ideas. Divided for easy reference into categories such as love, marriage, friendship, religion, science, the arts, and many others.Tags
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Member Reviews
The editors begin with an opening essay which provides their rigorous definition of aphorisms (as distinct, say, from epigrams) then include only selections which meet that definition. This is an excellent compilation of pithy, thought-provoking prose which rewards close attention.
Sadly, there are no quotes from the Sagas in this anthology. (sorry, I've been entering my "Myth" books by Asprin lately.) Other than that it's a fine book to crib from when the well runs dry.
This is a reference book so I did not read it cover to cover. I came to it by way of a recommendation by Jacques Barzun to browse rather than read this volume.
Of course, W. H. Auden gets all the attention and I don't begrudge him that but Louis Kronenberger should get mention as a coauthor. And who is Louis Kronenberger? From Wikipedia he appears to be another person we should all be more familiar with.
This is the kind of book that has been obviated by the internet. I keep a site called Brainy Quote bookmarked. It has about 200 quotes from one of my favorites, La Rochfoucaulde; this book only had thirty-eight. The book has single quotes from people I am not familiar with such as Edmond About and George William Russell; Brainy Quote had show more numerous quotes from each of them. Then there is the tactile aspect of paper versus digital: I prefer paper for a straightforward cover-to-cover read but when it comes to flipping around from index to content and back again digital is better. show less
Of course, W. H. Auden gets all the attention and I don't begrudge him that but Louis Kronenberger should get mention as a coauthor. And who is Louis Kronenberger? From Wikipedia he appears to be another person we should all be more familiar with.
This is the kind of book that has been obviated by the internet. I keep a site called Brainy Quote bookmarked. It has about 200 quotes from one of my favorites, La Rochfoucaulde; this book only had thirty-eight. The book has single quotes from people I am not familiar with such as Edmond About and George William Russell; Brainy Quote had show more numerous quotes from each of them. Then there is the tactile aspect of paper versus digital: I prefer paper for a straightforward cover-to-cover read but when it comes to flipping around from index to content and back again digital is better. show less
Fun pastime reading and thinking
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Author Information
W. H. Auden, who was born in York, England, on February 21, 1907, is one of the most successful and well-known poets of the 20th century. Educated at Oxford, Auden served in the Spanish Civil War, which greatly influenced his work. He also taught in public schools in Scotland and England during the 1930s. It was during this time that he rose to show more public fame with such works as "Paid on Both Sides" and "The Orators." Auden eventually immigrated to the United States, becoming a citizen in 1946. It was in the U.S. that he met his longtime partner Chester Kallman. Stylistically, Auden was known for his incomparable technique and his linguistic innovations. The term Audenesque became an adjective to describe the contemporary sounding speech reflected in his poems. Auden's numerous awards included a Bollingen Prize in Poetry, A National Book Award for "The Shield of Achilles," a National Medal for Literature from the National Book Committee, and a Gold Medal from the National Institute of Arts and Letters. Numerous volumes of his poetry remain available today, including "About the House" and "City Without Walls." W.H. Auden died on September 28, 1973 in Vienna. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
W. H. Auden has a Legacy Library. Legacy libraries are the personal libraries of famous readers, entered by LibraryThing members from the Legacy Libraries group.
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1962
- First words
- Foreword: This anthology is devoted to aphorisic writing, not to epigrams.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Those who find the listings too imprecise are respectfully referred to Dr. Johnson's remark abou dicionaries (page 288).
[Dictionaries are like waches: the worst is better than none, and the best cannot be expected to go quite right.]
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Statistics
- Members
- 418
- Popularity
- 74,013
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.68)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 10
