Facts and fancies for the curious from the harvest-fields of literature
Transcriber’s Note:
The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
A MELANGE OF EXCERPTA
COLLATED BY
CHARLES C. BOMBAUGH, A.M., M.D.
“Facts are to the mind the same thing as food to the body”
Burke
“So full of shapes is fancy
That it alone is high-fantastical”
Twelfth Night
PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
Unknown
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PREFACE
CONTENTS
AMERICANA
OUR NATIONAL AIRS
OUR HISTORIC CHARACTERS
OUR WONDERLANDS
OUR LANGUAGE
FIRST THINGS
PROTOTYPES
FORECASTS
MISCELLANEA CURIOSA
FACETIÆ
FLASHES OF REPARTEE
THE WORD-TWISTING OF THE PUNSTERS
CLEVER HITS OF THE HUMORISTS
THE HITS OF THE SATIRISTS
EVASIONS OF AMBIGUITY
COMICAL BLUNDERS
MISSING THE POINT OF THE JOKES
EVEN HOMER SOMETIMES NODS
THE STRETCHES OF POETIC LICENSE
MISQUOTATION
FALSITIES AND FALLACIES
LEGENDARY LORE
PARALLEL PASSAGES
THE WIT OF THE EPIGRAMMATISTS
ENIGMAS
VOICES FROM GOD’S ACRE
THE HONEYED PHRASE OF COMPLIMENT
THE MAZES OF OBSCURITY
IDEAL PHYSICAL PROPORTIONS
FAMOUS BEAUTIES
FEMALE POISONERS
BREVITIES
TOASTS AND MOTTOES
FINIS CORONAT OPUS
INDEX
