Quotations

Dictionaries of quotations fulfill many needs: identifying a given quotation, verifying an author, providing suitable quotations for a subject area, and supplying selections from the writings of prominent persons. The research collections of The New York Public Library supply a wide assortment of general and specialized quotation dictionaries, and these sources, when properly employed, provide the researcher with an inestimable tool in researching the statements of notable people.

The research collections possess a varied collection of quotation dictionaries, and a significant number of these are available in the open stack area. The Information Desk in the Public Catalog area is able to provide the researcher with the standard reference works in this area (many of which are discussed below). In addition, the Rose Main Reading Room provides a working collection of quotation dictionaries which duplicate and supplement the holdings available in the Public Catalog area. Those who wish to browse through quotation dictionaries are particularly invited to explore the many books on this topic which are available in the Reading Room, the majority under the call numbers extending from *R-RMRR PN6080 through *R-RMRR PN6084. The Rose Main Reading Room collection includes general and specialized dictionaries of quotations in the major western European languages.