Review by Choice Review
Caligula, William Shakespeare, Crazy Horse, and 1,500 other commentators from ancient Greek philosophers to Sarah Palin trade remarks profound, caustic, trenchant, and humorous in this entertaining omnibus. Lend Me Your Ears has a British tinge, but American pols are well represented. Middle and Far Eastern sources are sparsely included. Jay, coauthor of the BBC radio and television series Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister, presents an eclectic assortment of bons mots alphabetically by author. Featuring some 300 quotations new to this edition, the book has an excellent keyword index. Jay's voracious pursuit of sources and discretion in selection are the linchpins that make this a valuable source. He notes in the introduction that "the number of new entries from earlier years is as large as ever, if not larger." Funeral orations, epitaphs, songs, cartoon captions, and slogans ("Burn, baby, burn") contribute to the hodgepodge. Both the pious (including Pius XII) and the rebarbative (Joseph McCarthy) have their say. Competing dictionaries of political maxims are largely nonexistent today. Some are attuned to American affairs, such as Wolfgang Mieder's Proverbs Are the Best Policy: Folk Wisdom and American Politics (2005). Other dictionaries compile the sayings of presidents, including Barack Obama in His Own Words (2007), edited by Lisa Rogak. Jay is especially adept at selecting scathing ripostes by both obscure and well-known British politicians, including Winston Churchill's comment on Stanley Baldwin: "The candle in that great turnip has gone out." Lend Me Your Ears invites readers to eavesdrop on Mark Twain, Sting, and Aeschylus. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All libraries; all levels. C. B. Thurston University of Texas at San Antonio
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
This latest incarnation of collected political quotations has a new name (previous editions were called Oxford Dictionary of Political Quotations), more than 300 new quotations, and more than 80 new authors, including Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. Quotations are arranged chronologically under their authors, and authors are arranged A-Z. The source of each quotation is provided, as are author dates and descriptions. Indexing is by keyword and subject. One of the pleasures and uses of the volume is to browse and encounter both familiar statements and new additions. Interspersed among the attributed quotes are selected special entries, among them Epitaphs ( Rest in peace. The mistake shall not be repeated, inscribed on the cenotaph at Hiroshima); Last Words ( So little done, so much to do, attributed to Cecil Rhodes); and mottoes (Harry S. Truman's The buck stops here ). Two quotes summarize the importance of this updated volume of political sound bites with substance. E. A. Freeman, English historian, reminds us that history is past politics, and politics is present history. And it is good to keep in mind that what Bernie Madoff said of his business ( It's all just one big lie ) does not apply to all political comments. Recommended for libraries with substantial quotation collections.--Scarth, Linda Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Since the publication of the third edition in 2006, the world has changed dramatically, not least of all on the political front. This volume continues the tradition of arranging entries by speaker rather than by topic. Don't know the origin of a quotation? Fear not. Turn to the extensive keyword index or the briefer "selective subject index" in the back of the volume. Helpful also are one-page special category quotes: epitaphs, misquotations, mottoes, slogans, etc. Use this volume to buttress an argument, claim historical precedent, or reassure yourself. Or use it to examine the world and its leaders: their thoughts, beliefs, and hopes. Consider Rahm Emanuel's "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." Realize Robert Mugabe's clear and disturbing intention: "We are not going to give up our county for a mere X on a ballot. How can a ballpoint pen fight with a gun?" Take to heart Mahatma Gandhi's universal call: "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." Verdict The MacMillan Dictionary of Political Quotations (1993) is dated, and its online analog (www.politicalquotes.org), which contains historical and political quotations, appears to be defunct. This revised edition from Oxford is a great value and an excellent choice for libraries lacking a current work in this area.-Marilyn Searson Lary, formerly with North Georgia Coll. & State Univ., Dahlonega (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Library Journal Review
