{"product_id":"the-world-in-a-phrase-a-brief-history-of-the-aphorism-second-edition-paperback","title":"The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism, Second Edition - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJames Geary\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCelebrating the short, witty, philosophical phrases known as aphorisms, this delightful history is an entertaining tour through the wisest and wittiest sayings in the world.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Aphorisms are literature's hand luggage. Light and compact, they contain everything you need to get through a rough day at the office or a dark night of the soul. Aphorisms, the oldest written art form on the planet, have been going viral for thousands of years, delivering the short, sharp shock of old forgotten truths. Today, visual artists are mixing pithy language with compelling imagery and using social media to take the form into the future. In a world of disinformation and deepfakes, aphorisms point to the power of fresh debate over tired dogma and inconvenient truths over comfortable lies. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Starting in ancient China and ending with contemporary meme-makers and street artists, \u003ci\u003eThe World in A Phrase\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of the aphorism through brief biographies of some of its greatest practitioners: sages like Lao-tzu and the Buddha, philosophers like Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, writers like George Eliot and Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, humorists like Mark Twain and Dorothy Parker, activists like James Baldwin and Audre Lorde, poets like Langston Hughes and Kay Ryan, and artists like Jenny Holzer and David Byrne. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe World in A Phrase\u003c\/i\u003e is for lovers of words and seekers of wisdom. This new edition of \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller features 26 additional aphorists and explores the aphorism in the age of social media, showing why these short sentences are the ultimate deep dives in an era when TL;DR has become a cultural catchphrase.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJames Geary\u003c\/b\u003e, an adjunct lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, is the author of \u003ci\u003eWit's End: What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need It, \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eI Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How It Shapes the Way We See the World\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eGeary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists\u003c\/i\u003e, among other books. He likes to juggle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.82 x 8.5 x 5.71 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 12, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51978182689069,"sku":"9780226838601","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/XcwlGoLHtT9780226838601.webp?v=1775800884","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/the-world-in-a-phrase-a-brief-history-of-the-aphorism-second-edition-paperback","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}