About "I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like: A Comprehensive Compilation of History's Greatest Analogies, Metaphors, and Similes"

I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like: A Comprehensive Compilation of History's Greatest Analogies, Metaphors, and Similes Published August 2008       Hardcover: 336 Pages List Price: $14.95       ISBN: 0061358134

HarperCollins

All online booksellers and all major brick & mortar bookstores will be selling the book, but to make things a little easier for you, I'll provide links to two online sellers:

In I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like, I have fixed my attention on the three superstars of figurative language: analogies, metaphors, and similes. In the first chapter, I explain the nature of these literary devices in down-to-earth and easy-to-understand ways (the way I wish they had been explained to me when I was in high school). In the rest of the book—in chapters on sex, politics, sports, aging, stage & screen, the literary life, and more—I take readers on a guided tour of history's greatest analogies metaphors, and similes.

To give you a better idea of the kind of thing you'll find in the book, here is a brief sampling of quotations from the chapter on life metaphors:

And here are a handful of quotations from the wit & humor chapter:

In the book, I occasionally provide commentary after a quotation in order to explain the observation, put it into context, or provide some information about the author. Here are two examples, the first from the the human condition chapter and the second from the insults & criticism chapter:

The naked truth, a metaphor for plain and unadorned truth, originated in an ancient Roman fable. Truth and Falsehood went for a swim. Falsehood emerged from the water first, dressed himself in Truth's clothes, and departed. Truth refused to wear the clothing Falsehood had left behind, preferring to go naked instead. The expression has been used countless times by writers, ancient and modern, but one of my favorites comes from Ann Landers, who wrote, "The naked truth is better than the best-dressed lie."

Bartholdi was a nineteenth-century French sculptor who loved America but was turned off by the disgusting personal habits of its citizens, especially tobacco chewing. His most famous work, a statue he titled Liberty Enlightening the World, was a mouthful for everyday Americans, who since 1886 informally referred to it by the name it has today: The Statue of Liberty. Another European aesthete who loved Americans but detested tobacco chewing—and the spitting associated with it—was Oscar Wilde. The practice inspired his famous metaphorical remark: "America is one long expectoration."

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Table of Contents

To give you a better idea of how the book is organized, the Table of Contents appears below:

How to Get the Book

Let me briefly describe three ways for you to get a copy of the book.

1) Your Local Bookstore

Most discerning bookstores will have I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like in stock, so a visit to your favorite bookseller may be the easiest way to get your hands on a copy. If they don't have it in stock, ask them to order a copy. This is a service bookstores are more than willing to provide, so take advantage of it. To identify a local Independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound.

2) Online Bookstores:

3) Your Local Library

If you're a little short on cash right now, no problem! You can be reading I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like within a few weeks. Simply go to your local library and ask them to order a copy or two for the library's collection. They will be happy to reserve a copy of the book for you, and they'll even notify you when it comes in. I've been able to get my hands on scores of books this way over the years. It's one of the many fantastic services provided by public libraries; yet very few people are aware of it. And it's paid for by your tax dollars, so take advantage of it. By the way, even if you decide to buy a copy of the book, I'd appreciate your asking your local library to order a copy anyway.