"The Hip Pocket Guide to Offbeat Wisdom" by William Sauer is my all-time favorite book of quotations. William Sauer has put together quotes from a great combination of sources -- ranging from Buddha to Tom Robbins. It represents a broad, stimulating, and searching list, as well as a meditative and questing mind. What I love most about Sauer's book is that it isn't a commercial attempt to exploit a theme. It's a book in its own right -- a memoir of a spiritual journey that happens to take the form of a collection of quotes. And what I took away from this book was the inspiration to start appreciating the gift of wisdom wherever I found it. Funny, provocative, and often moving, this is a perfect book to buy as a present. But be sure to buy one for yourself.

...when asked to give a favorable review of a book, "You'll like this book, if this is the sort of book you like."

If you like books of quotations, then Bill Sauer's compendium is a must-have. I have not only enjoyed reading it to see what personal favorites and new delights are within, I like the fact that Mr. Sauer's quotes are not arranged at random, but in a carefully planned order. And if you are like myself, and believe that it is better to memorize one phrase each from 100 great minds, than read 100 great books when there is so much great content on TV, you will certainly want to purchase "The Hip Pocket Guide to Offbeat Wisdom." Buy it even if you're not a practicing pseudo-intellectual!

B.C. Milligan

Quotation books tend to be predictable, relying on the most recognizable and popular ones. Bill has done something really different and much more worthwhile. By focusing on the odd, the offbeat, and the truly interesting quotations, he not only brings us words of wisdom but also insights into the quoters themselves. Whoever would have guessed that Confuscious would have said something like "Living is like walking on thin ice." I thought Confuscious said stuff like "Man who run in front of car get tired."

Seriously, though, you will find this book endlessly entertaining and maybe even educational.

I've had a copy of this book for a while and at one point thought it should be titled Sauer's Unfamiliar Quotations. It is entertaining and thought-provoking and you won't find the 'same old chestnuts' in here- instead they cover all kinds of sources, contemporary, pop-culture, artists, mystics, etc. Take one everyday...