Dictionary of Common Fallacies (Oleander Reference Books)

by Philip Ward

Long before Snopes.com and Wikipedia, A Dictionary of Common Fallacies set out to debunk popular beliefs and set the record straight. By tracking down the facts and citing experts in a multitude of fields, Philip Ward points out the senseless ideas that we have come to accept as fact. Newly updated with today s common misconceptions and available as a single-volume paperback for the first time, A Dictionary of Common Fallacies exposes the truth behind hundreds of commonly held false beliefs.

Genres: History

2 pages, Hardcover

First published December 5, 1977

About the author

Philip Ward was a chartered librarian who was appointed as Director of the Unesco/Government of Indonesia Project for the Development of the National Library Service, Jakarta. He is the author of more than fifty books. A poet, dramatist, and reviewer for World Literature Today, Ward has a large working private library and in 1956 was founding Honorary Secretary of the Private Libraries Association. He has lived in Libya (for 8 1/2 years), Malta, England, and Egypt, as well as Indonesia.

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alphabetical list of 'common' fallacies. Some interesting nuggets of information, but a significant number of 'fallacies' that are pretty obscure. Seems largely a librarian's intellectual exercise. Definitely a few I found interesting, but a lot of dross as well. The encyclopedic format and lack of narrative structure made it a bit of a slog to get through. Probably useful as a reference but wouldn't add it to a reading list.

[Scott Leffler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just as "common sense" and "common decency" are rare, so are the things referred to in this book. I forced myself to listen to about 90 minutes worth. Had to stop.