Forum: Author Hangout

I've got a couple upcoming books which feature chapter quotes: quotes from famous literary figures at the head of each chapter/section head.

The problem is, I want to research the quotes I've found to ensure they're correct, but so far, I've been unable to find a reliable reference to use. There are SO many people posting graphics of 'famous' quotes (often misstated) that it's almost impossible to search for the original source of any single quote. Also, the majority of the quote references focus on old (18th and early 19th century) works, rather than any thing recent (i.e. anything since the 1970s).

Does anyone have any clue how to research that a given quote is authentic, or even where it originated?

You could try asking Lazlo Zalezac where he gets his quotes from. The Future of Miss Powers is overflowing with quotes, a plot artifice to demonstrate the protagonist's hyperintelligence.

AJ

Try searching on -- popular quotes and sayings and phrases.

The problem is, I want to research the quotes I've found to ensure they're correct, but so far, I've been unable to find a reliable reference to use.

The traditional one is Roget's Thesaurus. Lexis/Nexis probably won't be much help for 18th and 19th century.

It'll be fun, although not quick, to scan through some Garrison Keillor "Writer's Almanac" episodes to see if he mentions any comprehensive and authoritative source.

And, even if it's very old-school, your friendly local librarian, especially if you have a library large enough to staff a reference desk, will know where to look.

bb