Quotations for All Occasions / Edition 2000

by Catherine Frank

Overview

On the most important occasions of our lives, we often find ourselves at a loss for words; when we want to console, celebrate, explain, inspire, or thank, we end up repeating such uninspiring, uninformative phrases as "Words cannot express how I feel." To help us find the right words, Catherine Frank has compiled this handy compendium of quotations that capture the mundane and the magnificent, the everyday and extraordinary moments of our lives.

The three sections of the book cover 150 occasions. "Every Year" offers quotations on all the special dates in the calendar from New Year's Day to New Year's Eve, including Martin Luther King Day, Valentine's Day, Ramadan, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, and Christmas. "Occasionally" presents quotations on such occasions as giving a speech, having an interview, becoming a parent, getting engaged, welcoming someone, and saying goodbye. "Once in a Lifetime" provides quotations on such momentous events as confirmation, coming out, turning 16, graduation, and retirement.

A sampling:

• Plato, John Donne, and Woody Allen give their words of wisdom on death.

• Betty Ford writes eloquently on recovery.

• Martina Navratilova ruminates on her first sexual encounter... and Holden Caufield on his.

• Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, and Frederick Douglass ponder Independence Day.

• Amy Tan reflects on the meaning of the Chinese New Year.

• Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Susan Sontag offer poignant descriptions of pain and illness.

Whether you are offering consolation or congratulations, condolences or confessions, Quotations for All Occasions has the perfect words for every occasion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231112901
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	11/01/2000
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.75(d)
Lexile:	1050L (what's this?)
Age Range:	18 - 17 Years

About the Author

Catherine Frank is involved in historical preservation work in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she is currently completing a Ph.D. in English.

What People are Saying About This

Susan Adland

This Book is great fun and will add to any collection. The qoutations come from both poetry and prose sources and cover topics that students and faculty will find useful, i.e. 'first car', 'middle age', 'graduation', 'winning', 'losing', and 'taking exams'.

— Susan Adland, AASL, "Outstanding" Rated Titles from University Press Books: Selected for Public and Secondary School Libraries, also selected for Public Libraries

Editorial Reviews

Quotations for All Occasions is organized for ease of use....The collection of quotations can be recommended for a broad audience. It is also an excellent gift for someone that likes to compose a moving statement or to spice up a speech.

Svetlana Korolevn Reference Books Annual

Quotations for All Occasions is organized for ease of use....The collection of quotations can be recommended for a broad audience. It is also an excellent gift for someone that likes to compose a moving statement or to spice up a speech.

American Reference Books Annual - Svetlana Korolev

Frank's Quotations for All Occasions is a unique title that organizes its 1500-plus quotes into three sections that cover 150 different occasions. "Every Year" contains quotes for such annual events as holidays, birthdays, days of the week, and seasons, while "Occasionally" encompasses quotes for less frequent events, like going back to school, breaking up, quitting smoking, and school reunions. The final section is for "Once in a Lifetime" experiences, such as turning 16, getting a first car, menopause, and retirement. The detailed table of contents offers easy access to quotes for each occasion, and an index arranged by author (not seen) should help research. U.S. Senator Torricelli's (D-NJ) collection of more than 2300 quotes from 840 authors began as a loose-leaf notebook passed down from Hubert Humphrey via Walter Mondale, the editor's former employer. Far more traditional in both scope and organization than Frank's--with a table of contents, author index, and 50 familiar categories--it also includes political categories, such as democracy, war, government, education, patriotism, leadership, America, and the environment. Torricelli's quotations are generally shorter, pithier, and catchier than Frank's, which tend to be longer and derive from more traditional sources, such as Shakespeare and other classic authors. Both editors provide the quotation's source after each entry, and Torricelli's bibliography of books and web sites is a nice addition to his work. All public and academic libraries will want to purchase Frank's work because of the niche it fills in the vast array of available quotation dictionaries. While smaller libraries may decide to pass on Torricelli's because considerable overlap with standard quotation dictionaries is likely, larger libraries will probably want to own it for the quality of its original quotations and its ease of use.--Leah J. Sparks, Bowie P.L., MD Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

To help one find the right words for occasions from birthdays to first sexual encounter to death, a doctoral student in English has compiled some 150 classic and modern quotations in three categories: special calendar dates, occasional and once-in-a lifetime events. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

A source of bon mots for every eventuality, a catalogue of smart things to come out with at anything from a bar mitzvah to a burial.

Times Literary Supplement - Peter Reading

Do librarians and readers need another quotation dictionary when a large number of excellent titles are already available? In this case, the answer is a resounding 'yes.' This lively compilation organizes quotations under three major headings: 'Every Year' (Passover, Labor Day, spring), 'Occasionally' (falling in love, taking exams, becoming a parent), and 'Once in a Lifetime' (turning 16, first home, first baby)....Entries supply not only the name of the writer/speaker, but the full title of the source and often a reference to the specific chapter from which the quote is taken. In many cases the compiler has attached a helpful note to explain context (e.g., when F. Scott Fitzgerald says 'I like large parties. They're so intimate,' we learn that the words were spoken by Jordan Baker, 'a bored socialite,' in chapter 3 ofThe Great Gatsby). A source index adds to the book's utility.

Choice - D.C. Dickinson

Quotations for All Occasions is organized for ease of use....The collection of quotations can be recommended for a broad audience. It is also an excellent gift for someone that likes to compose a moving statement or to spice up a speech.

— Svetlana Korolev

American Reference Books Annual

Do librarians and readers need another quotation dictionary when a large number of excellent titles are already available? In this case, the answer is a resounding 'yes.' This lively compilation organizes quotations under three major headings: 'Every Year' (Passover, Labor Day, spring), 'Occasionally' (falling in love, taking exams, becoming a parent), and 'Once in a Lifetime' (turning 16, first home, first baby)....Entries supply not only the name of the writer/speaker, but the full title of the source and often a reference to the specific chapter from which the quote is taken. In many cases the compiler has attached a helpful note to explain context (e.g., when F. Scott Fitzgerald says 'I like large parties. They're so intimate,' we learn that the words were spoken by Jordan Baker, 'a bored socialite,' in chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby). A source index adds to the book's utility.

— D.C. Dickinson, emeritus, University of Arizona

Choice

A source of bon mots for every eventuality, a catalogue of smart things to come out with at anything from a bar mitzvah to a burial.

— Peter Reading

Times Literary Supplement