Devil's Dictionary

Unique Witty Dictionary

By: Ambrose Bierce

Narrated by: Deaver Brown

A unique witty, sardonic, ironic, and insightful dictionary of terms. American humor, stem to stern. Best heard rather than read due to the sharp incisive wit. A must read in American Literature and Cultural History. Widely anthologized and used as a basis for stories such as one of the most popular Twilight zone episodes.

Public Domain (P)2012 Deaver Brown

A great classic of American literature, screwed.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose ("Old Gringo") Bierce is a classic of American literary humor, that has few if any equals. As far as I know, it is the only hilarious book in English written in the form of a lexicon, and is as laugh-out-loud funny as, for example, Catch 22. Unfortunately, the narration is more flawed than any other audio-book I have ever heard. It is so bad that the experience of listening to it is not unlike reading a manuscript that has been badly mangled, to the point that a good deal of the material is simply unintelligible. Only the literary genius of the author, which manages to shine through the dimness of the narration, keeps this audiobook from being worthless.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Devil's Dictionary?

The form of the presentation of such a book makes this question inapplicable.

What didn’t you like about Deaver Brown’s performance?

There was nothing to like about it, except the content.

Was Devil's Dictionary worth the listening time?

Yes, but the experience is quite disappointing, particularly, I think, to those who have read the actual book.

Any additional comments?

One can only wish that an audio edition of this classic and hysterical (in the best sense) book would be recorded by someone who is capable of enunciation.

it will help you feel more free to be you...

progress to finally letting go...funny...inspiring...intelligent...honest if you are sick of lying...says what you know and are ,afraid, to admit. helps you to know that you should not be acting the role of 'what you think they think you think you are' ... if you know that ,,everything we know is wrong because we have been conditioned to misunderstand who we are,, you will appreciate it... the definition of ART is the best...I only made it through d so far...

Well phrased, young in cheek gems

A brief listicle with several clever, quotable gems peppered throughout.

E,g. "Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage."

Not narrated well by reader

What didn’t you like about Deaver Brown’s performance?

He mispronounced some words, and in general read too fast. Needed more of a pause between words to let the joke sink in.

Not THE Devil's Dictionary

First off Bierce's stately 1800s vocabulary is trimmed to such an extent that Bierces authorial voice is completely absent. By making the book more accessible for impatient brainless morons like you and me the entries transform from multileveled and erudite cynicism of the highest order to sniggering juvenelia. So thanks for sparing our pea-brains from any bruising that might come from focusing and thinking. Even more outrageous is the claim Bierce would approve. "Hey Ambrose I'm just going to replace about half of your words so's not to befuddle the fast-paced illiterates of the 21st century. What do you think ?" Of COURSE Bierce would be totally down with mutilating the perfect jewels of thought and expression and wit to coddle simpletons or 'dumb it down' as this new improved Dictionary might put it. I think one word from Bierces high-falutin' 1800s lexicon covers this misguided ambition - effrontery.
If this hasn't gotten you excited for the new degraded dictionary then the fact it sounds like the narrator is shouting the entries in a high school bathroom is bound to seal the deal. It provides the two elements most treasured by audiobook enthusiasts - lots of echo and distortion. And shouting.
Bierce hurt a lot of peoples feelings in his day but he never did anything to justify this butchery. Then the added insult of the claim Bierce would have approved in this 'sympathy for the imbecile' exercise is like spitting on the Great Mans grave. Which could possibly explain Bierces decision not to leave one behind. If they do this to one of his best books they certainly wouldn't balk at bedecking his headstone with a flaming orange wig and giant honking red nose.

False advertisement: excerpts only

I love Ambrose Bierce and his works. Having my own physical copy of The Devil's Dictionary, I've enjoyed the book in the past and looked forward to listening to it.

Then I heard this: "From the editor: the words not appropriate to today's world have been eliminated to keep this work short, crisp, and concise. We are sure that if Ambrose Bierce reappeared, he would have recommended the same."

What is this bullshit? The book is advertised as being unabridged. Then, right in front of God and a microphone, Simply admits that the book is an abridged version, sections being eliminated 'for relevance'. This is, Simply, false advertisement. Moreover, I disagree with your belief that Bierce would have recommended anything of the sort.

456 of the 995 words have been left out. The remaining definitions were shortened, and many explanations were dropped. Often, these changes not only affect the intended definition, but the feel of the text itself. For example, the definition of 'beggar' is included, but the definition of 'beg' is not. This fundamentally changes the meaning of 'beggar' as Bierce wrote it. At one point, the definition of one word (lunarian) is given for another (luminary).

Deaver Brown's reading was poor. He occasionally mispronounces words(unless they were deliberately changed for the reading), and sometimes stutters through other words. The reading itself was unedited, leaving background noises such as birdsong and keystrokes obvious in the background. This shows a lack of professionalism.

The defacement ends with an afterword including: "We did edit the work slightly to take out some of the longer poems and explanations he had. And we think if he were to write it again today, with emphasis on brevity in today's media, he would have done similar things to his own work." They then point out that Bierce "hated fraudulent presentation", condemning themselves.

One definition they did leave in applies very well to their presentation: un-american. Which, in this dictionary, is defined as "Wicked, intolerable, heathenish".

I will never purchase another book published by Simply.