Bartlett's Book of Anecdotes

I must admit, I have had this book either by my bed or (forgive me!) in the bathroom for at least 20 years and am on my third - the other two worn out from too frequent reading. Lots of wonderful tidbits on just about anyone you can think of in history/literature/the arts/music. Highly recommended.

Has something in it for EVERYONE literally and for every occasion, you'll never be at a loss for words with this book!

I enjoyed this book throughly! It's an excellent resource for speech writing or for creating your own personal fables (to be passed on through conversation and lessons). I also liked how many of the stories were cross referenced when multiple people were involved, and how a few of them were retold in different ways when listed under different people.My only complaint... (and this is a big one!) is that the list of celebrities and historical figures is extremely westernized. There are only a handful of eastern and middle eastern people represented. Even Eastern Europeans are greatly outnumbered by the British and American figures. And god forbid that we include anyone from the Southern hemisphere. I'd like to see more variety in the next edition, or even a companion book with some 'minority' focus in it.

BARTLETT'S BOOK OF ANECDOTES is not this reviewer's normal work having mostly stayed with fiction. In fact, I had no plans to write a review, but my spouse was leafing through the book and started laughing. Motivated to take a look and not let it be a coffee table piece, I started to read some of the quotes from famous, not so famous (at least in my circle) and infamous people throughout history. I found myself intrigued, enjoying the comments that are often serious and obtaining additional pleasure from a brief biography of the contributor. In fairness, I have not finished the anecdotes, but read a few each night to simply relax as the book reminds me of A & E's "Biography for the Millennium" even though there are contributors from before 1000 AD. However, though entertaining and a remarkable research book, readers need to consider the price vs. the value before purchasing this tome.Harriet Klausner