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I Told You I Was Ill: Famous Last Words and Astonishing Epitaphs
I Told You I Was Ill
The Last Words of the Rich and Famous
Contents
Introduction
That’s all Folks! : Actors, Comedians and Entertainment figures
Swan Song : Musicians and Dancers
The Full Stop : Writers, Philosophers and Artists
The Final Round : Sport Stars, Inventors and Other Public Figures
Viva! : Royalty, Religious and Political Leaders
The Last Post : Spies, Soldiers and Revolutionaries
The End of the Sentence : Convicts
As Woody Allen once said, ‘I’m not afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.’ Allen’s quip may reflect how many of us feel about ‘checking out’ but as the only certainty of life, death is a fascinating subject and can also be devastatingly funny. Laughter is often a way of dealing with the more difficult aspects of life. Some wits, like Woody Allen, make a career of using humour to explore the Really Big Subjects and death is no exception. It is only natural that some will use humour as a way of saying goodbye and ensuring they are remembered with a smile.
This collection will reveal just about every approach that has been taken by the eminent and the notorious to their ultimate utterance.
Author Biography
Maria Pritchard is a freelance writer who lives in East London with her husband and daughter. She has two degrees obtained 15 years apart; one in English the other in Humanities with Classical Studies. She worked in publishing for 15 years before deciding to become an author. History is one of her passions. When not writing she pursues her love of dance and travels to warmer climes for snorkelling and scuba diving.
Print page count : 160
The Last Words of the Rich and Famous
Contents
Introduction
That’s all Folks! : Actors, Comedians and Entertainment figures
Swan Song : Musicians and Dancers
The Full Stop : Writers, Philosophers and Artists
The Final Round : Sport Stars, Inventors and Other Public Figures
Viva! : Royalty, Religious and Political Leaders
The Last Post : Spies, Soldiers and Revolutionaries
The End of the Sentence : Convicts
As Woody Allen once said, ‘I’m not afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.’ Allen’s quip may reflect how many of us feel about ‘checking out’ but as the only certainty of life, death is a fascinating subject and can also be devastatingly funny. Laughter is often a way of dealing with the more difficult aspects of life. Some wits, like Woody Allen, make a career of using humour to explore the Really Big Subjects and death is no exception. It is only natural that some will use humour as a way of saying goodbye and ensuring they are remembered with a smile.
This collection will reveal just about every approach that has been taken by the eminent and the notorious to their ultimate utterance.
Author Biography
Maria Pritchard is a freelance writer who lives in East London with her husband and daughter. She has two degrees obtained 15 years apart; one in English the other in Humanities with Classical Studies. She worked in publishing for 15 years before deciding to become an author. History is one of her passions. When not writing she pursues her love of dance and travels to warmer climes for snorkelling and scuba diving.
Print page count : 160
- GenresNonfiction
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
About the author
Maria Pritchard
4 books4 followersMaria Pritchard is a freelance writer who lives in East London with her husband and daughter. She has two degrees obtained 15 years apart; one in English the other in Humanities with Classical Studies. She worked in publishing for 15 years before deciding to become an author. History is one of her passions. When not writing she pursues her love of dance and travels to warmer climes for snorkelling and scuba diving.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 5, 2020
Just a constant reminder of death nothing else.
with this concludes my 15/15 books challenge this year
with this concludes my 15/15 books challenge this year
October 11, 2023
Such a fun book. Loved reading these last words from famous people, and interesting moments of death
April 11, 2016
Something of a guilty pleasure.
A canter through the final moments of many notable and less notable individuals - at most a page on each, giving biographical highlights, but focusing on the manner of death and either epitaphs or last spoken words; the most famous of these being, inevitably, apocryphal.
Chapters focus on specific areas of interest; entertainers, writers and artists, criminals, etc, and there are plenty of juicy snippets - Cozy Powell and Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum are particular highlights. Most entries are frustratingly brief, but this does prompt one to investigate further, which can only be a good thing.
An excellent toilet read.
A canter through the final moments of many notable and less notable individuals - at most a page on each, giving biographical highlights, but focusing on the manner of death and either epitaphs or last spoken words; the most famous of these being, inevitably, apocryphal.
Chapters focus on specific areas of interest; entertainers, writers and artists, criminals, etc, and there are plenty of juicy snippets - Cozy Powell and Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum are particular highlights. Most entries are frustratingly brief, but this does prompt one to investigate further, which can only be a good thing.
An excellent toilet read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews