Like any collection of this nature, you'll find lots that leaves your smile muscles unmoved. But that leaves plenty of stuff in the 4,000-odd entries that you'll want to store away for future reference. This is an American collection, drawn from comics and satirists past and present. Some names you'll know--Joan Rivers, Bob Hope, W C Fields--some will be unfamiliar but there are gems to dig from this compact but extensive mine.

Entries are grouped into categories and there is an additional index at the back so if you're looking for witticisms to enliven a particular occasion, like a wedding or a business talk, The Little Giant Encyclopedia of One-Liners will serve as a good resource for your reference shelf, or your bed-side or bathroom table.--Tim Thornborough