5 People Who Died During Sex: and 100 Other Terribly Tasteless Lists

By Karl Shaw

Book Overview

All in perfectly bad taste Prepare to be amazed, appalled, disgusted, and hugely entertained by this compendium of indelicate oddities. Nothing is too inane, too insane, too bizarre, or too distasteful for this incredible, seemingly impossible, but absolutely true collection of facts from across the ages and around the world. Did you know... ...that Pope Benedict XII was such a hardened boozer that he inspired the expression "drunk as a pope"? (From "10 Historic Drunks") ...that as a special honeymoon treat, Prince Charles read Princess Diana passages from the works of Carl Jung and Laurens van der Post? (From "History's 10 Least Romantic Honeymoons") ...that the best-dressed gentlemen in medieval England exposed their genitals below a short-fitting tunic? (From "History's 10 Greatest Fashion Mistakes") ...that Alfred Hitchcock suffered from ovophobia--fear of eggs? (From "10 Phobias of the Famous") ...that King Louis XIV only took three baths in his lifetime, each of them under protest? (From "10 Great Unwashed") ...that in 1930, Sears customers became enraged when the catalog was first printed on glossy, non-absorbent paper? (From "12 Magical Moments in Toilet Paper History")

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767920597
• ISBN13: 9780767920599
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Keep on hand for doctor visits or DMV doldrums

This is a good book to keep handy for times when you might be stuck hanging around with nothing to occupy you. For example, the doctor's waiting room. You want to take your mind off the myriad diseases and ailments you might be catching from all the sickly people waiting there with you. The TV is blaring the latest world crisis on CNN (good content when your spirit is flagging). Do you really want to handle those germ-infested copies of People Magazine? Instead you can read about Adolf Hitler's cure for flatulence. Or find out that one of the five who died during sex was a Pope(!). Reviewers have blasted the book's factual errors as if making a mistake in print is a crime on a par with pedophelia. Grow up! I have news for you: lots of published works have factual, spelling, or grammatical errors. This book is clearly intended as entertainment, not something President Bush will base national policy on.

A Great Buy: Dreadfully Funny, Wonderful Book

The thing that attracted me first to this book is that it isn't bogged down with worthless information like "plot," "imagery," or other thematic elements, it is just everything you have always wanted to know, but never knew how to ask, conveniently packaged into 101 lists for quick learning and easy reference. Some of the lists, such as "40 Syphilitics" are merely, bare bones, listings. No unneeded details, just the names. However, other lists such as "10 Appalling Pontiffs" not only lists the names of the 10 worst popes, but goes into the story of exactly what made them so horrible and evil. This book also tells you things that you want to hear, like ten literary greats' thoughts on William Shakespeare, a pleasant burst of fresh air for English majors such as myself who loathed the day that man ever put quill to paper. This is a book that I pick up every day and thumb through. My copy is full of dog ears and highlighted text. One of the best humor/reference book purchases I have made.

Humorous Good Fun

I absolutely loved this book. It is very interesting, and provides humorous truths in various categories. It is separated into five or so chapters that are filled with lists I'm sure I'll refer back to again and again. I highly recommend this. I'll probably be buying this author's next work or something else he has written. It's worth the money!