A Review of the Greatest Unsung Writer of All Time: Ibid.

While often quoted in several fields of discipline, the prolific author Ibid has no anthology of collected works and no biography. All that is known of him is from other authors’ quotations. In spite of this paucity, much can be gleaned from an author by the quotations that survive.

The works of Ibid originate in great antiquity, he is quoted alongside Homer. Judging by the amount he is quoted, his works rank among the philosophical writings of Plato and Aristotle. His works on religion are cited as frequently as Moses, Zarathustra, and the authors of the Vedas.

While the subject Ibid commented on in the ancient world were diverse, as time progressed, he expanded his interests. Not only is he quoted among the doctors of the Church, but also the doctors of medicine. In the modern era his quotes encompass anthropology, athletics, biology, literature, metallurgy, parenting, poetry, technology, and zymurgy to name but a few subjects.

With such a longevity of writing and broad spectrum of knowledge, a strong argument may be made that Ibid is not one writer but several. Perhaps there is a secret society of Ibid, never openly publishing its works but from time to time allowing authors to quote various passages.

However, this concept seems unlikely, not least because Ibid frequently contradicts himself; authors with opposing viewpoints frequently cite Ibid to support their position (or detract from their opponents’) With such different quotations, qualifications for entrance into the secret society would be quite lax and we probably would have heard of the cabal before reading of it in an obscure blog. Perhaps each of us is Ibid (as long as we’ve been quoted twice consecutively).