The Times Lives Less Ordinary: obituaries of the eccentric, unique and undefinable

by Nigel Farndale

The Times obituaries have given readers throughout the world an instant picture of a life for more than 150 years. This is a selection of those who saw the world in different colors. Some were eccentrics, some mavericks, all marched to the beat of their own drum. Each obituary has been updated and reproduced in its entirety. The Times Register provides a rich store of information and opinion on the most fascinating characters of the twentieth and early twenty-first century – be they dons, pop stars, vicars, MPs, rugby players or aristocrats. Authoritative, fascinating, insightful and endlessly engaging, this is a must for anyone with an interest in the eccentrics and unique characters of recent times. Includes Diana Athill, Betty Dodson, Anita Pallenberg, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Jackie Stallone, Eve Babitz, Jan Morris, John McAfee and Ted Knight.

Genres: Nonfiction

416 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2023

About the author

Nigel Farndale was born in Ripon, North Yorkshire, in 1964. He is the author of six books, including The Blasphemer (shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award) and Haw-Haw: The Tragedy of William and Margaret Joyce (a biography shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize). His latest novel is The Road Between Us.

As a journalist he has interviewed a host of celebrities and public figures from Mick Jagger, Woody Allen, the Dalai Lama and Henry Kissinger to Elton John, Prince Charles, Hillary Clinton, Paul McCartney, George Best, and Stephen Hawking.

He writes for various newspapers and magazines, including The Observer, FT, Spectator and Country Life, and has won a British Press Award for his interviews in the Sunday Telegraph.

His appearances on Radio 4 have included Loose Ends, Broadcasting House and Between Ourselves, a programme in which he and Lynn Barber compared notes on the art of the celebrity interview.

Before becoming a writer, Farndale read philosophy for a Master’s degree at Durham University.

He is the son of a sheep and dairy farmer from Wensleydale, and worked as a farmer there himself for a few years. He now lives on the Hampshire-Sussex border with his wife Mary and their three children.

Reviews

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must for anyone who can’t stop themselves reading obituaries. Lots of different people from many walks of life and every one of them a quirky character. Someone it would have been nice to know. A great book to either read all in one sitting or just to dip into as and when you feel like it. Enjoyable isn’t really the right word but it was very enthralling and a great gift for anyone who likes something a bit out of the ordinary! I was given this ARC by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Julie Chamaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lives Less Ordinary, edited by Nigel Farndale is a large volume of over eighty obituaries. The lives covered are a multifarious range of ‘eccentric, unique and undefinable’ individuals. Indeed, many of the lives are notable (brilliant mathematician, Katherine Johnson), enigmatic (artist and muse,Eve Babitz) and even infamous (Scottish anarchist, Stuart Christie). Conversely, some of the lives exposed have been saved from obscurity - like Hannah Hauxwell, whose life was solitary but full of hard manual work as she eked out a barely subsistent existence on a farm in the North Yorkshire Pennines.

The pleasure of this curious collection is the wide-ranging characters and their singularly original lives. In addition, it could be suggested that obituary writing is a genre all of its own. The writing is concise and factual but alive with anecdotes. The style is totally lacking florid descriptions or meandering sentimentality - but often ironic, humorous or even sardonic. As such,the personality of the subjects shine through and often prompt the reader to uncover more about these fascinating individuals.

A very entertaining read - hopefully another volume might follow.

[John Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even if you love obituaries, why would you read a collection of them from The Times of London, that notoriously stodgy Tory institution? Well, because they're English; and even the most hidebound English person knows that eccentricity is an essential part of the English character. This collection features tales of the lives of unusual English people (and some non-English people) who died between 2016 and 2022. They include Greg Lake, the prog-rock guitarist "who could only play when standing on his own £6,000 Persian rug," Baron Clement von Franckenstein ("Meanwhile, the tale of who unsuspectingly drank the contents of a bottle of Spanish brandy that von Franckenstein had been using to sterilize himself after dalliances with women in Tijuana is, perhaps, a story for which the world is not yet prepared"), and Jackie Stallone, Sylvester's mother. "She claimed to have invented 'rumpology,' which involved divining an individual's future through the lines and crevices of their buttocks...she claimed to keep an imprint of Mikhail Gorbachev's derriere."

If there's little insight in these stories, there are certainly some good tales, together with more than a little affection. A good bathroom book.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three for you, I just really love obituaries. Most of these are not awe-inspiring subjects and most are not written with care. But some are

Peregrine Nicholas Eliot was born in 1941 into a family that, riddled as it was with lunacy, suicide and internecine division, did little to advance the cause of the hereditary principle... their grandfather – the 8th Earl, Montagu, a barrister once described as having “all the stiffness of a poker but none of its occasional warmth”

the first Countess of St Germans said of her successor: “It’s not fair to describe her as working class because as far as I know she has never worked.”

But you have to understand that gold is flowing out of the world all the time, about 2 per second. What makes us golden is not only our actions or our thoughts but also just our being, despite it all.

[Jess Mayhall · Rating 5 out of 5]

In four words, ‘I loved this book!’
As a former history student at university, I’ve always loved learning about the lives of well-known, less well-known and obscure people’s lives; all are equally interesting. From Zsa Zsa Gabor’s nine marriages (who knew her daughter was a family member of the Hilton dynasty), to Edda Tasiemka’s archive of cuttings at her London home divided into categories only she would have known looking at the pile of newspapers stacked around her home, to the police call to the Marquess of Bath’s stately home for an argument among ‘wifelets’ - all of the people in this book lived an extraordinary and unique life. I devoured this book, one obituary at a time at night in bed, and only wish there were more within these pages!

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The one time I usually get to find out about a person is in their obituary. This collection of obituaries are taken from the times newspaper. Initially I looked at the list and only recognised a few names. However, upon reading I realised I did know more than I thought.
A collect of their life stories. Told often in a humourous way but with dignity. Wow. These people knew how to live. Interesting quotes and stories.
It makes me realise that we all need to live for the day. What would my obituary say about me.
Certainly not a morbid book. Just a way of celebrating lives.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC

[Debumere · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read, the Times obituaries of several notable people and a good mix too. Whilst I hadn’t heard of some (most) of them, I did enjoy reading about these eccentric characters. My favourite was Diana Athill but then I’m hugely biased as I loved her books. The more colourful people such as the Earl of St Germans and Jordan made for great reading but I appreciated learning about people who had made a big impact on Society today that I may not have ever heard about otherwise. #ARC #netgalley

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! A collection of highly readable and interesting obituaries - ideal for dipping into or as a late-night read before bed.

I hadn't heard of all the people featured in this collection, but still found it a fascinating read.

Highly recommended - not in the least morbid, and with some very witty writing.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does exactly what it says on the tin. Full of interesting and informative obituaries. You can open the book at any person and be intrigued and engrossed by the facts of their life. A book that you can pick up and put down and come back to reading it at a later date. I followed up on some of the people featured but I was always entertained and learnt something new.

[Greville Waterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful stuff. A perfect bedtime book containing a series of beautifully researched and written monographs and obituaries of mainly the mad, sad and bad from the pages of The Times.

Hours of entertainment and elucidation as the well remembered and the more obscure emerge from the mists of time.

Not to be missed.

[Virginia Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully crafted obituaries from the The Times providing glimpses into the lives of some of twentieth and early twenty-first century Britains most unforgettable characters, whether actors, intellectuals, pop stars, vicars, politicians, sports stars or aristocrats. Honest, insightful and endlessly engaging.

[Susan Longo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delight to read well turned phrases and many excellent obituaries of lives well lived - While I did not know many of these people, it sent me on a quest to find out more ... Each one was a thoughtfully 2-3 pages with a photo. I got this through inter-library loan as it is a book from THE TIMES of London.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

It'a a fascinating book, you read it and think "curiouser and curiouser" as there's a common trait of eccentricity and originality in all the characters that are in this book.
A fascinating read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Kexx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series of obituaries of the unusual: short essays on remarkable people spoilt by the writers (older aged, middle class men?) who often enough to notice confused bullying and racism with ‘eccentricity’ and showed shock when a woman made it. Perfect loo book.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining collection of obituaries of a wide-ranging selection of interesting and extraordinary people, Good to have this collection to remind us that we don't all have to fit the mould.

[Odette Lattimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC

This would be a perfect gift as something for a coffee table.
I read this over a few evenings in bed and I just loved it. Fantastic collection and so well put together.

[Charlotte Biddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting people but some filler chapters and would have liked colour photos

[Stephen Curran · Rating 3 out of 5]

some of the obits were interesting but most were boring.