AN UNCOMMON SCOLD compiled by Abby...

AN UNCOMMON SCOLD compiled by Abby Adams (Fireside: $8; 268 pp., illustrated). Adams’ collection of quotes from famous women ranges in subject from modern relationships (“As I look around the West End these days, it seems to me that outside every thin girl is a fat man, trying to get in” --Katherine Whitehorn) to the value of learning (“Lack of education is an extraordinary handicap when one is being offensive”--Josephine Tey). These bons and mals mots could spice up a letter or a term paper--or just provide a distraction while waiting for a guest or a phone call: As Marilyn Monroe remarked, “I’ve been on a calendar, but never on time.”