The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody: Great Figures of History Hilariously Humbled
by Will Cuppy
Blurb:
Ever wonder what Nero did before he began fiddling about in Rome, or wanted the bare facts about Lady Godiva? Maybe you've found the story of Lucrezia Borgia a bitter pill to swallow, or wanted the straight skinny on corpulent King Henry the Eighth, but you haven't the stomach for stuffy history books. Now these and twenty-two more of history's most famous personages are brought brilliantly to life, in this collection of unfailingly accurate yet undeniably hilarious biographies. You'll laugh while you learn about the very real people behind the legendary names, including why Montezuma was so vengeful, and why Catherine was so Great. You'll even finally lay to rest the rumor that Charlemagne was called "Chuck" by his friends.
My Reaction:
Donald and I read this one together to fill in the gaps between 372-Pages books. I think one of us found it recommended on a list of "if you like this, try that" books/authors. It's been a while since we read this (because I've fallen out of the habit of updating this blog in a timely fashion), but from what I recall, we thought it was amusing in parts, but also maybe a bit less funny than it could have been if we were in on more of the jokes. I guess we just aren't big enough history buffs to get some of the references. Anyway, it was something different to try, and we're now reading something else of Cuppy's and enjoying it more than this—so if this doesn't quite hit the mark with you, either, some of his other work might be more to your taste. 