They Never Said it: Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes and Misleading Attributions by Paul F. Boller
An entertaining book that sifts through hundreds of misquotations, incorrect attributions, and blatant fabrications to reveal the origins of the quotes and why they should be confined to the "They Never Said It" file. Boller and George's reference work sets straight several historical records, proving amongst other things that "Let them eat cake" was a well-worn phrase long before Marie Antoinette was born that although W. C. Fields fervently believed "Anybody who hates children and dogs can't be all bad", credit for the quote must go to someone introducing Fields at a dinner party. It is the perfect complement to dictionaries of quotations.