I would not be without this reference book, and enjoy an occasional "flick through" it to read the erudite, profound or witty sayings or writings of men and women from throughout history to the present day, not to mention some anonymous ones, advertising slogans and catchphrases. The first quoted may be Homer, from the 8th Century BC, although some verses from the bible are probably the oldest expressions listed.

I find it less successful when I am trying to identify who it was who first used an expression or saying, but this must inevitably be the case. While biased towards the English language - there are 50 pages of Shakespeare's alone - there are quotations from the whole world, and even in 850 pages or so (the index occupies another 300 pages) no one can realistically include more than a small proportion.

I do wonder, therefore, why the editors include the Latin as well as the English translations of those quotations that originated in that language, but not, generally, the French, German or other foreign langauges of others.

While Wikipedia and the internet is a valuable resource as well, this is not a book that you will ever regret buying.