ABSTRACT
This article is a collection of humorous data gleaned from reference works. These books include handbooks, such as Chase’s Calendar of Annual Events, the Guinness Book of World Records, Famous First Facts, American Nicknames, Post’s and Vanderbilt’s etiquette books, and Robert’s Rules of Order. Dictionaries cited include A Table Alphabeticall (1604), Dictionarium Britannicum (1736), Webster’s, Fowler’s, the Acronyms and Initialisms Dictionary, and the Abbreviations Dictionary. Amusing statements have been cited from Britannica from its first edition through reviews of the eleventh. Biographical works quoted include the Dictionary of American Biography, Notable American Women, and Who’s Who in America. Citations from such directories as the Directory of Directories, the Encyclopedia of Associations, and the Official Guide of the Railways and Steam Navigation Lines, are provided.
