Author: Jason Zweig Publisher: PublicAffairs ISBN: 1610396065 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 257
Book Description
Your Survival Guide to the Hades of Wall Street The Devil's Financial Dictionary skewers the plutocrats and bureaucrats who gave us exploding mortgages, freakish risks, and banks too big to fail. And it distills the complexities, absurdities, and pomposities of Wall Street into plain truths and aphorisms anyone can understand. An indispensable survival guide to the hostile wilderness of today's financial markets, The Devil's Financial Dictionary delivers practical insights with a scorpion's sting. It cuts through the fads and fakery of Wall Street and clears a safe path for investors between euphoria and despair. Staying out of financial purgatory has never been this fun.
Author: Ambrose Bierce Publisher: Standard Ebooks ISBN: Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 341
Book Description
“Dictionary, n: A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work.” Bierce’s groundbreaking Devil’s Dictionary had a complex publication history. Started in the mid-1800s as an irregular column in Californian newspapers under various titles, he gradually refined the new-at-the-time idea of an irreverent set of glossary-like definitions. The final name, as we see it titled in this work, did not appear until an 1881 column published in the periodical The San Francisco Illustrated Wasp. There were no publications of the complete glossary in the 1800s. Not until 1906 did a portion of Bierce’s collection get published by Doubleday, under the name The Cynic’s Word Book—the publisher not wanting to use the word “Devil” in the title, to the great disappointment of the author. The 1906 word book only went from A to L, however, and the remainder was never released under the compromised title. In 1911 the Devil’s Dictionary as we know it was published in complete form as part of Bierce’s collected works (volume 7 of 12), including the remainder of the definitions from M to Z. It has been republished a number of times, including more recent efforts where older definitions from his columns that never made it into the original book were included. Due to the complex nature of copyright, some of those found definitions have unclear public domain status and were not included. This edition of the book includes, however, a set of definitions attributed to his one-and-only “Demon’s Dictionary” column, including Bierce’s classic definition of A: “the first letter in every properly constructed alphabet.” Bierce enjoyed “quoting” his pseudonyms in his work. Most of the poetry, dramatic scenes and stories in this book attributed to others were self-authored and do not exist outside of this work. This includes the prolific Father Gassalasca Jape, whom he thanks in the preface—“jape” of course having the definition: “a practical joke.” This book is a product of its time and must be approached as such. Many of the definitions hold up well today, but some might be considered less palatable by modern readers. Regardless, the book’s humorous style is a valuable snapshot of American culture from past centuries. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.
Author: Rhoda Koenig Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield ISBN: 0762775777 Category : Reference Languages : en Pages : 197
Book Description
A new and beautifully illustrated collection of bitter, biting definitions to celebrate the centenary of The Devil’s Dictionary Ambrose Bierce’s classic The Devil’s Dictionary first appeared in its entirety in 1911. Its caustic wit and arch tone have ensured steady popularity and sales to this day. To mark its centennial, Rhoda Koenig gives us a new version of Bierce’s mordant vision. Its myriad definitions, like the original’s, individually expose hypocrisy, pretension, and vanity and collectively paint a mocking portrait of society at its worst. More than just a denunciation of jargon or political correctness, it lambasts old and young, rich and poor, male and female, left and right, and takes them all down a peg—or three. It deals with classic subjects but also defines new ideas and explicates new usages from “academia” to “teamwork” to “women’s magazine.” Among the many definitions inside: accessible, adj. (1) Of a subject, one that can be approached by the most intellectually handicapped, aided by the ramp of banality and the guardrail of diminished vocabulary. (2) Of a woman, a nice way of putting it. collectible, n. Object which many are eager to possess, though it may not be attractive, entertaining, or useful. Not to be confused with “spouse.” If you relish moral criticism of immoral behavior, The New Devil’s Dictionary will leave you howling for more.
Author: Jason Zweig Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 1416539794 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 403
Book Description
Drawing on the latest scientific research, Jason Zweig shows what happens in your brain when you think about money and tells investors how to take practical, simple steps to avoid common mistakes and become more successful. What happens inside our brains when we think about money? Quite a lot, actually, and some of it isn’t good for our financial health. In Your Money and Your Brain, Jason Zweig explains why smart people make stupid financial decisions—and what they can do to avoid these mistakes. Zweig, a veteran financial journalist, draws on the latest research in neuroeconomics, a fascinating new discipline that combines psychology, neuroscience, and economics to better understand financial decision making. He shows why we often misunderstand risk and why we tend to be overconfident about our investment decisions. Your Money and Your Brain offers some radical new insights into investing and shows investors how to take control of the battlefield between reason and emotion. Your Money and Your Brain is as entertaining as it is enlightening. In the course of his research, Zweig visited leading neuroscience laboratories and subjected himself to numerous experiments. He blends anecdotes from these experiences with stories about investing mistakes, including confessions of stupidity from some highly successful people. Then he draws lessons and offers original practical steps that investors can take to make wiser decisions. Anyone who has ever looked back on a financial decision and said, “How could I have been so stupid?” will benefit from reading this book.
Author: Paddy Hirsch Publisher: Macmillan + ORM ISBN: 0765399156 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 347
Book Description
The Devil's Half Mile by Paddy Hirsch is a riveting historical thriller debut set in 1799 New York City, perfect for the fans of Gangs of New York and the works of Caleb Carr and Erik Larson. Seven years after a financial crisis nearly toppled America, traders chafe at government regulations, racial tensions are rising, gangs roam the streets and corrupt financiers make back-door deals with politicians... 1799 was a hell of a year. Thanks to Alexander Hamilton, America has recovered from the panic on the Devil's Half Mile (aka Wall Street), but the young country is still finding its way. When young lawyer Justy Flanagan returns to solve his father's murder, he exposes a massive fraud that has already claimed lives, and one the perpetrators are determined to keep secret at any cost. The body count is rising, and the looming crisis could topple the nation. "A thriller with strong, multifaceted heroes and villains, [and] tight plotting. I impatiently await the next adventure."—Patrick Taylor, NYT bestselling author of the Irish Country series At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Author: Sergio Baldi Publisher: BRILL ISBN: 9004438483 Category : Reference Languages : en Pages : 455
Book Description
Following the publication in 2008 of Dictionnaire des emprunts arabes dans les langues de l'Afrique de l'Ouest et en Swahili, Dictionary of Arabic Loanwords in the Languages of Central and East Africa completes and offers the results of over 20 years of research on Arabic loanwords. The volume reveals the impact Arabic has had on African languages far beyond the area of its direct influence. As in the previous volume, the author analyses the loans in the greatest possible number of languages spoken in the area, based on the publications he found in the most important libraries of the main universities and academic institutions specialised in the field. By suggesting the most frequently used Arabic loanwords, the dictionary will be an invaluable guide to African-language lexicon compilers, amongst others.
Author: Cary Nelson Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1135962162 Category : Art Languages : en Pages : 356
Book Description
Know what academic freedom is? Or what it's come to mean? What's affirmative about affirmative action these days? Think you're up on the problem of sexual harassment on campus? Or know how much the university depends on part-time faculty? Academic Keywords is a witty, informed, and sometimes merciless assessment of today's campus, an increasingly corporatized institution that may have bitten off more than its administration is ready to chew. Cary Nelson and Steve Watt use the format of a dictionary to present stories and reflections on some of the most pressing issues affecting higher education in America. From the haphazard treatment of graduate students to the use and abuse of faculty (as well as abuses commited by faculty), Nelson and Watt present a compelling and, at times, enraging report on the state of the campus.
Author: Nicholas Dunbar Publisher: Harvard Business Press ISBN: 1422143163 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 310
Book Description
A compelling narrative on what went wrong with our financial system—and who’s to blame. From an award-winning journalist who has been covering the industry for more than a decade, The Devil’s Derivatives charts the untold story of modern financial innovation—how investment banks invented new financial products, how investors across the world were wooed into buying them, how regulators were seduced by the political rewards of easy credit, and how speculators made a killing from the near-meltdown of the financial system. Author Nicholas Dunbar demystifies the revolution that briefly gave finance the same intellectual respectability as theoretical physics. He explains how bankers worldwide created a secret trillion-dollar machine that delivered cheap mortgages to the masses and riches beyond dreams to the financial innovators. Fundamental to this saga is how “the people who hated to lose” were persuaded to accept risk by “the people who loved to win.” Why did people come to trust and respect arcane financial tools? Who were the bankers competing to assemble the basic components into increasingly intricate machines? How did this process achieve its own unstoppable momentum—ending in collapse, bailouts, and a public outcry against the giants of finance? Provocative and intriguing, The Devil’s Derivatives sheds much-needed light on the forces that fueled the most brutal economic downturn since the Great Depression.
Author: Per Faxneld Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA ISBN: 0199779244 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 300
Book Description
Twelve scholars present cutting-edge research from the emerging field of Satanism studies. The topics covered range from early literary Satanists like Blake and Shelley, to the Californian Church of Satan of the 1960s, to the radical developments within the Satanic milieu in recent decades. The book will be an invaluable resource for everyone interested in Satanism as a philosophical or religious position of alterity rather than as an imagined other.
Author: Ambrose Bierce Publisher: University of Georgia Press ISBN: 0820326348 Category : Humor Languages : en Pages : 438
Book Description
If we could only put aside our civil pose and say what we really thought, the world would be a lot like the one alluded to in The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary. There, a bore is "a person who talks when you wish him to listen," and happiness is "an agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another." This is the most comprehensive, authoritative edition ever of Ambrose Bierce’s satiric masterpiece. It renders obsolete all other versions that have appeared in the book’s ninety-year history. A virtual onslaught of acerbic, confrontational wordplay, The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary offers some 1,600 wickedly clever definitions to the vocabulary of everyday life. Little is sacred and few are safe, for Bierce targets just about any pursuit, from matrimony to immortality, that allows our willful failings and excesses to shine forth. This new edition is based on David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi’s exhaustive investigation into the book’s writing and publishing history. All of Bierce’s known satiric definitions are here, including previously uncollected, unpublished, and alternative entries. Definitions dropped from previous editions have been restored while nearly two hundred wrongly attributed to Bierce have been excised. For dedicated Bierce readers, an introduction and notes are also included. Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary is a classic that stands alongside the best work of satirists such as Twain, Mencken, and Thurber. This unabridged edition will be celebrated by humor fans and word lovers everywhere.
Author: Jason Zweig
Author: Ambrose Bierce
Author: Rhoda Koenig
Author: Jason Zweig
Author: Paddy Hirsch
Author: Sergio Baldi
Author: Cary Nelson
Author: Nicholas Dunbar
Author: Per Faxneld
Author: Ambrose Bierce