Born in Rouen in northern France, Gustave Flaubert (1821-80) is regarded as one of the greatest novelists of all time. He is best known for his works Madame Bovary and A Sentimental Education, and for his stylistic perfectionism and scrupulous commitment to le mot juste.

A spoof encyclopedia of contemporary accepted wisdom and commonplaces, the Dictionary of Received Ideas sees Flaubert at his witty and satirical best. Perhaps intended as a companion to his final, unfinished novel Bouvard and Pécuchet, this compilation was the result of a lifetime of collecting the absurd and the clichéd with darkly humorous explanations.

A playful look at nineteenth-century values and talking points, this dictionary will provide enduring entertainment and prove relevant even today.