The Devil's Dictionary

"The Devil's Dictionary" is one of the brightest satirical works of the 20th century, authored by the famous American writer Ambrose Bierce.
The book is a collection of aphorisms about various aspects of human activity.
The work was written in 1906 and... published under the title "Lexicon of a Cynic," but was republished in 1911 under a new title. In the 1970s, the book was included in the list of "100 Greatest American Works." 
The readers are presented with the most complete, uncensored version of the work in Russian. It contains 998 definitions. Why not 1000? Ask Mr. Bierce… 
Many articles are accompanied by poetic illustrations, around 200 in the book. Don't be misled by references to authors, most of them are invented by Bierce himself.