Customer Reviews

truly a celebration of the wonderous variety of human nature - By: , 31 Mar 1999
I learned of this book through a reviewin the New Yorker, & was so intrigued with the wonderful, tongue-in-cheek style & the almost unbelievable content that I put quite a bit of effort into tracking it down. It more than repaid that effort. The obituaries are not depressing; instead, they really are a celebration of the wonderful, zany variety of human nature. I feel privileged to have shared a century with many of the peoplein this book. Read, for example, of Margaret Mee, a botanical artist, who repelled a band of gold prospectorsin Brazil by remarking, as she leveled a revolver at them, "I haven't had a lot of shooting practice, but really I think I'm quite good. After all, a steady hand & a good eye are absolutely essential qualities for a painter, wouldn't you say?" Or read of Nesta Cox, an English nanny workingin France who became a hero of the French Resistance & had airlifted to her by the RAF not only supplies for sabotage but also packets of tea. Or read of the author BB, who "at the age of four . . . incontrovertibly saw a gnome." This book has it all: humble heroes & well-born villains, gay hairdressers & mad scholars. And when you finish it, there are three more collections: Heroes & Adventurers, Entertainers, & Rogues. Enjoy!