Ralph Keyes: 7 books
I Love It When You Talk Retro
Hoochie Coochie, Double Whammy, Drop a Dime, and the Forgotten Origins of American Speech
Language: English
Release Date: March 31, 2009
An entertaining and informative book about the fashion and fads of language
Today's 18-year-olds may not know who Mrs. Robinson is, where the term "stuck in a groove" comes from, why 1984 was a year unlike any other, how big a bread box is, how to get to Peyton Place, or what the...
The Post-Truth Era
Dishonesty and Deception in Contemporary Life
Language: English
Release Date: October 3, 2004
"Dishonesty inspires more euphemisms than copulation or defecation. This helps desensitize us to its implications. In the post-truth era we don't just have truth and lies but a third category of ambiguous statements that are not exactly the truth but fall just short of a lie. Enhanced truth it...
by Richard Farson, Ralph Keyes
Language: English
Release Date: March 11, 2003
Language: English
Release Date: March 11, 2003
Success in today's business economy demands nonstop innovation. But fancy buzzwords, facile lip service, and simplistic formulas are not the answer. Only an entirely new mindset -- a new attitude toward success and failure -- can transform managers' thinking, according to Richard Farson, author of...
The Writer's Book of Hope
Getting from Frustration to Publication
Language: English
Release Date: October 1, 2003
In 1889, the editor of the San Francisco Examiner, having accepted an article from Rudyard Kipling, informed the author that he should not bother to submit any more. "This isn't a kindergarten for amateur writers," the editor wrote. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don't know how...
The Quote Verifier
Who Said What, Where, and When
Language: English
Release Date: April 1, 2007
Our language is full of hundreds of quotations that are often cited but seldom confirmed. Ralph Keyes's The Quote Verifier considers not only classic misquotes such as "Nice guys finish last," and "Play it again, Sam," but more surprising ones such as "Ain't I a woman?"...
The Courage to Write
How Writers Transcend Fear
Language: English
Release Date: October 1, 2003
The Courage to Write is an invaluable book and essential reading for anyone who wishes to learn how to write well.
Katherine Anne Porter called courage "the first essential" for a writer. "I have to talk myself into bravery with every sentence," agreed Cynthia Ozick, "sometimes...
Euphemania
Our Love Affair with Euphemisms
Language: English
Release Date: December 14, 2010
How did die become kick the bucket, underwear become unmentionables, and having an affair become hiking the Appalachian trail? Originally used to avoid blasphemy, honor taboos, and make nice, euphemisms have become embedded in the fabric of our language. EUPHEMANIA traces the origins of euphemisms...