Les Bons Mots

"Les Bons Mots: How to Amaze 'Tout le Monde' with Everyday French" is another fun book from Dr. Eugene Ehrlich, coeditor of "The Oxford English Dictionary" and author of the the "Extraordinarily Literate" series and other language books. At first glance, "Bons Mots" appears to be a glossary of sorts, or a compendium of useful French expressions and aphorisms, but on closer inspection, one finds a very well presented exposition of classic French phrases and proverbs, with excellent pronunciation guides. This book is not intended to be taken on a trip to France as a guide to what French people are saying, but rather it is a reference book for either looking up something in French that one comes across in one's reading, or a source for interjecting a bit of spice into one's own prose. Dr. Ehrlich's Latin phrase books, "Amo, Amas, Amat" and "Veni, Vidi, Vici" provided a model for this book, so people who like those books will like this one too. One can either use "Bons Mots" like a dictionary or simply read it here and there for fun. Many of the entries are annotated with morsels of French history and usage notes, and there is an index, in English. Highly recommended addition for the well-stocked reference shelf!