Product Description
A hilariously offbeat dictionary of quotations A hilariously offbeat dictionary of quotations Brings together some of the worst-chosen words in history Thematic organization allows the user to locate quotations on specific topics All quotations fully sourced, annotated and indexed.

From the Author
The Thinking Citizen's Ideal Bathroom Book!
"I say some things and, gosh, I wish I hadn't said them!" - Hubert Horatio Humphrey.

It's taken me five hugely enjoyable years to compile THE CASSELL DICTIONARY OF REGRETTABLE QUOTATIONS - a bumper collection of over 2,000 examples of the gaffes ... the bloopers ... the expert misinformation ... the pompous wrongheadedness of our so-called betters. From the 5th century BC to the present day, THE CASSELL DICTIONARY OF REGRETTABLE QUOTATIONS is proof that the sort of people who ought to know better than the rest of us, frequently don't.

"No reader interest" - publisher W H Allen rejects Frederick Forsythe's novel, 'The Day of the Jackal', 1970.

Politicians ... military leaders ... scientists ... philosophers ... critics ... captains of industry ... journalists ... publishers ... movie moguls ... all the self-appointed experts who like to tell us what's what: they're all here.

"Pish! A woman might piss it out." - The Lord Mayor of London, refusing to get out of bed for the Great Fire of London, 13 September 1666.

If you've ever suspected that our leaders might not be 100% fit to lead us, buy this book to prove yourself right. If you think experts are 100% trustworthy, buy this book for your own protection. If you think 'potato' is spelled with an 'e', you'll find yourself on pages 178-180. Have fun! David Milsted

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4.0 out of 5 stars Who was it who once said...., 22 Feb 2009

By	Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Any writer should appreciate the value of adding authentic quotations to their work because it lends so much credibility to that author. Whilst the subject matter should always be relevant to what is being written (such as a quote from Shakespeare's "The Tempest" added to a work about storms), humour and irony are always the best possible choices. Having brought a suitable silly, outrageous, stupid, funny or simply memorable quotation to mind, however, the problem is often in trying to remember who said it. This is where you then become the equivalent of a crossword bore as you pass through all your friends and family asking; "Who was it who once said.....?"

This book contains all those ridiculous quotes - and more, and they really are so very useable. Somebody actually said; "Nuclear powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality within ten years" (in 1955!), "I give Castro a year, no longer" (1959), "You ought to go back to drivin' a truck" (Jim Denny to Elvis Presley in 1954), "The bowler's Holding, the batsman's Willey" (cricket match radio commentary in 1974. The bowler was Michael Holding and the batsman Peter Willey!) and, of course, that perennial favourite "Jimmy Who?," (Published in 1974 as a derogatory comment about the prospects of Jimmy Carter becoming President of the USA). It was Carter's equally memorable response to that headline which got him elected.

Altogether this book is useful on several fronts - not only for writers, as it serves to remind us all of the foibles of those who make public pronouncements and commit words to paper. Even great leaders (as well as those who were not so great!) are prone to regrettable quotations and, if they said it, you will find it here.

Whoever said "To err is human," this might so easily have been his life's work...

NM

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5.0 out of 5 stars A useful, comprehensive and funny book of quotable quotes, 24 Oct 2000

By	anne.fanning@tesco.net (Ely, Cambridgeshire) - See all my reviews

I'm really pleased to have this on my shelf of reference books. It gets used more than almost any other. It is well laid out and the quotes are all properly attributed - something that not all books of quotations seem to bother with these days. A much more entertaining read than conventional books of quotations, it works well as a gift for "someone who has everything". But it really comes into its own when writing essays, articles or speeches. Because the quotes are gaffes they are funnier and often more pertinent than the better-known witticisms of the famous. It is quick and easy to find what you want because of thorough Contents pages and a comprehensive index. My only real complaint is that it could have been longer but I suppose 1500 odd quotes for the price is not bad.

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