The Devil's Dictionary was begun in a weekly paper in 1881, and wascontinued in a desultory way at long intervals until 1906. In that year alarge part of it was published in covers with the title "The Cynic's WordBook," a name which the author had not the power to reject or happiness toapprove. To quote the publishers of the present work:

"This more reverent title had previously been forced upon him by thereligious scruples of the last newspaper in which a part of the work hadappeared, with the natural consequence that when it came out in covers thecountry already had been flooded by its imitators with a score of 'cynic'books -- The Cynic's This, The Cynic's That, and The Cynic's t'Other. Mostof these books were merely stupid, though some of them added the distinctionof silliness. Among them, they brought the word 'cynic' into disfavor sodeep that any book bearing it was discredited in advance of publication."

Meantime, too, some of the enterprising humorists of the country had helpedthemselves to such parts of the work as served their needs, and many of itsdefinitions, anecdotes, phrases and so forth, had become more or lesscurrent in popular speech. This explanation is made, not with any pride ofpriority in trifles, but in simple denial of possible charges of plagiarism,which is no trifle. In merely resuming his own the author hopes to be heldguiltless by those to whom the work is addressed -- enlightened souls whoprefer dry wines to sweet, sense to sentiment, wit to humor and cleanEnglish to slang.

A conspicuous, and it is hope not unpleasant, feature of the book is itsabundant illustrative quotations from eminent poets, chief of whom is thatlearned and ingenius cleric, Father Gassalasca Jape, S.J., whose lines bearhis initials. To Father Jape's kindly encouragement and assistance theauthor of the prose text is greatly indebted.

A. B.