Description
Book Synopsis: The team behind the New York Times bestseller The Book of General Ignorance turns conventional biography on its head—and shakes out the good stuff. Following their Herculean—or is it Sisyphean?—efforts to save the living from ignorance, the two wittiest Johns in the English language turn their attention to the dead. As the authors themselves say, “The first thing that strikes you about the Dead is just how many of them there are.” Helpfully, Lloyd and Mitchinson have employed a simple—but ruthless—criterion for inclusion: the dead person has to be interesting. Here, then, is a dictionary of the dead, an encyclopedia of the embalmed. Ludicrous in scope, whimsical in its arrangement, this wildly entertaining tome presents pithy and provocative biographies of the no-longer-living from the famous to the undeservedly and—until now—permanently obscure. Spades in hand, Lloyd and Mitchinson have dug up everything embarrassing, fascinating, and downright weird about their subjects’ lives and added their own uniquely irreverent observations. Organized by capricious categories—such as dead people who died virgins, who kept pet monkeys, who lost limbs, whose corpses refused to stay put—the dearly departed, from the inventor of the stove to a cross-dressing, bear-baiting female gangster finally receive the epitaphs they truly deserve.
Discover:
- Why Freud had a lifelong fear of trains
- The one thing that really made Isaac Newton laugh
- How Catherine the Great really died (no horse was involved)
Much like the country doctor who cured smallpox (he’s in here), Lloyd and Mitchinson have the perfect antidote for anyone out there dying of boredom. The Book of the Dead—like life itself—is hilarious, tragic, bizarre, and amazing. You may never pass a graveyard again without chuckling.
Details
Step into a world where the dead come to life in the most fascinating and hilarious ways! The Book of the Dead is not your typical biography—it's a rollicking adventure through the lives of the famous and the obscure, where boredom goes to die. Lloyd and Mitchinson have unearthed the most bizarre and intriguing stories about those who have shuffled off this mortal coil. With categories like dead people who died virgins and those whose corpses had a mind of their own, this book is a must-read for anyone looking to escape the ordinary and delve into the extraordinary.
Prepare to be entertained, shocked, and enlightened as you journey through the pages of this wildly entertaining tome. Discover the quirky details and eccentricities of historical figures like Freud, Newton, and Catherine the Great that you won't find in traditional textbooks. The Book of the Dead is a breath of fresh air in the world of biographies—shedding light on the peculiarities and idiosyncrasies of the dearly departed in a way that will leave you laughing, gasping, and craving more.
Are you ready to embark on a literary adventure like no other? Embrace the absurd, the bizarre, and the downright weird with The Book of the Dead. Bid farewell to boredom and join us in celebrating the lives (and deaths) of those who have left a mark on history in ways you never imagined. Dive into this encyclopedia of the embalmed and emerge with a newfound appreciation for the wittiest and most irreverent biographical masterpiece of our time.
Ready to discover the hidden treasures of the dead in a way that will leave you chuckling for days? Join us on this unforgettable journey through the unconventional and the extraordinary with The Book of the Dead. Unearth the secrets, the scandals, and the sheer hilarity of historical figures like never before. Don't miss out on this opportunity to experience the ultimate antidote to boredom!
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