Reviews
“Geary fell in love with aphorisms when, at 8, his eye wandered to the Quotable Quotes section of Reader’s Digest ... His attraction turned into a lifetime obsession, which he indulges to the fullest in ‘The World in a Phrase’, his entertaining love letter to the compact form.”
– New York Times
“Geary serves up old favorites: Montaigne, La Rochefoucauld, Benjamin Franklin, Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce. But he has also rustled up phrase-makers who are undeservedly forgotten.”
– Washington Post
“This is a real treasure house. I intend to raid it relentlessly.”
– John Humphrys
“It is impossible not to be swept along with Geary’s enthusiasm. He has illuminated some poignant observations of the significance of introspection.”
– The Times Literary Supplement
“What a pleasant, personal, thoughtful little book ... Geary’s account is full of wonderful aphorisms .... Delightful.”
– Booklist
“Probably the definitive work on aphorisms, a love letter-cum-memoir disguised as a reference book ... fellow fanatics will be delighted.”
– Publishers Weekly
“Might become a Christmas bestseller another Eats, Shoots and Leaves perhaps?”
– The Bookseller
“Geary’s book is a short and enlightening introduction to this short and enlightening literary form.”
– The Charleston Post and Courier
“A delight ... offers extraordinary phrases that any lover of the prickly thought and the graceful sentence can savor.”
– New York Sun
Geary’s “enthusiasm for his subject shines through this delightful little book ... An insightful journey through the world of philosophy, offering up sayings from a captivating collection of prophets, thinkers and poets.”
– The Sunday Express
“Geary’s fascinating book takes us on a journey through the pithy sayings of some of the world’s most profound and amusing thinkers and wits, [providing] entertaining and informative commentary on figures ranging from Confucius to Dr. Seuss.”
– What’s On In London
“A fetching dictionary of quotations.”
– Scotland Sunday Herald
“Whimsical, humorous and a great book to leave beside the toilet.”
– The Daily Ireland
