I Thought So, Volume 2 is a new distillation of wisdom in the classic tradition of Mark Twain, H. L. Mencken, Epictetus, Samuel Johnson, and la Rochefoucauld. If you love epigrams, you'll be surprised and delighted by the original mind reflected here. If you enjoy seeing things from a different angle, and like to discuss life's larger questions, then this is the perfect book for you.

There you are, writing a letter or a speech, or even just arguing with your friends, when you think: there must be a succint way of putting this. Surely a single one-liner could do a better job than my own ill-chosen and long-winded words? Thankfully, we have the epigram - that handy, witty saying that closes arguments, sets people thinking and generally makes everyone else think you're much cleverer than you really are. The Penguin Dictionary of Epigrams is arranged thematically, covering everything from birth and death, knowledge and ignorance to marriage and divorce and madness and sanity.

One of literature's greatest satirists, Martial earned his livelihood by excoriating the follies and vices of Roman society and its emperors, and set a pattern that satirists have admired across the ages. For the first time, readers can enjoy an English translation of these rhymes that does not sacrifice the cleverly constructed effects of Martial's short and shapely thrusts. Martial's Epigrams "bespeaks a great scholar at play" (The New York Times Book Review), makes for addictive reading, and is a perfect, if naughty, gift. Look out for a new book from Garry Wills, What the Qur'an Meant, coming fall 2017.

Greek 'literary' epigrams constitute one of the most versatile and dynamic poetic forms in the Hellenistic period. Originally modeled on the anonymous epitaphs and dedications inscribed on monuments throughout antiquity, these short poems came to include a variety of subtypes and served as a vehicle for Hellenistic poets to experiment with themes and motifs from other genres. This edition introduces students to a wide selection of epigrams from the third and second centuries BCE. It provides substantial help in construing the Greek and will be appropriate for those approaching the genre for the first time, whilst also containing material of interest to scholars. It includes work by the most important epigrammatists of this period, with substantial attention paid to the way these poets engage with the epigraphic and literary traditions. The Introduction provides an overview of the history of the genre and of its formal features, including dialect and meter.