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Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses
IN THE LONG RUN, WE’RE ALL DEAD. But for some of the most influential figures in history, death marked the start of a new adventure.
The famous deceased have been stolen, burned, sold, pickled, frozen, stuffed, impersonated, and even filed away in a lawyer’s office. Their fingers, teeth, toes, arms, legs, skulls, hearts, lungs, and nether regions have embarked on voyages that crisscross the globe and stretch the imagination.
Counterfeiters tried to steal Lincoln’s corpse. Einstein’s brain went on a cross-country road trip. And after Lord Horatio Nelson perished at Trafalgar, his sailors submerged him in brandy—which they drank.
From Mozart to Hitler, Rest in Pieces connects the lives of the famous dead to the hilarious and horrifying adventures of their corpses, and traces the evolution of cultural attitudes toward death.
The famous deceased have been stolen, burned, sold, pickled, frozen, stuffed, impersonated, and even filed away in a lawyer’s office. Their fingers, teeth, toes, arms, legs, skulls, hearts, lungs, and nether regions have embarked on voyages that crisscross the globe and stretch the imagination.
Counterfeiters tried to steal Lincoln’s corpse. Einstein’s brain went on a cross-country road trip. And after Lord Horatio Nelson perished at Trafalgar, his sailors submerged him in brandy—which they drank.
From Mozart to Hitler, Rest in Pieces connects the lives of the famous dead to the hilarious and horrifying adventures of their corpses, and traces the evolution of cultural attitudes toward death.
329 pages, Hardcover
First published March 12, 2013
189 people are currently reading
4,033 people want to read
About the author
Bess Lovejoy
5books94followersBess Lovejoy is a writer, researcher, and editor based in Seattle and Brooklyn. She writes about dead people, forgotten history, and sometimes art, literature, and science. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Believer, The Boston Globe, The Stranger, and other publications. She worked on the Schott’s Almanac series for five years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 255 reviews
July 29, 2022
I'm at times morbidly intruiged by the subject of death and this was definitely a good book to read in one of those time. Very interesting and had some good facts.
February 23, 2021
My lord almighty, here is a book filled with facts about the dead I never knew about! And what facts! WHO KNEW!!!??
Between these beautiful covers are the stories of what happens to the bodies of famous people once they have shuffled off this dreary planet. I thought most of it would be a bit of light body snatching mixed with the locations of bodies getting misplaced.
But no
Oh no
The things the bastard living do to the dead!!!! I WAS AGOG! I cannot believe some people think it’s cool to take a skull/finger/willy (a few nice willy facts here, apparently Byron was “built like a pony� which explains a lot) from a coffin or body without consent. I mean do you just casually think “oh yeah Einstein’s brain, I’ll be having me that�? And not just back in ye olden times, this is still going on. Good heavens, I mean I know it’s just a body but respect the dead people, come on now.
Shining through all this amazing macabre horror is the authors amazing macabre sense of humour. I had a few LOL moments whilst reading as we must all laugh at the fact we are all gonna snuff it at some point.
A spectacular book for anyone with an interest in death as it is that rare beast of a factish book that is not presented like a text book with the soul purpose of making you fall asleep.
And in the worlds of the late, great Beetlejuice - you can never trust the living.
Between these beautiful covers are the stories of what happens to the bodies of famous people once they have shuffled off this dreary planet. I thought most of it would be a bit of light body snatching mixed with the locations of bodies getting misplaced.
But no
Oh no
The things the bastard living do to the dead!!!! I WAS AGOG! I cannot believe some people think it’s cool to take a skull/finger/willy (a few nice willy facts here, apparently Byron was “built like a pony� which explains a lot) from a coffin or body without consent. I mean do you just casually think “oh yeah Einstein’s brain, I’ll be having me that�? And not just back in ye olden times, this is still going on. Good heavens, I mean I know it’s just a body but respect the dead people, come on now.
Shining through all this amazing macabre horror is the authors amazing macabre sense of humour. I had a few LOL moments whilst reading as we must all laugh at the fact we are all gonna snuff it at some point.
A spectacular book for anyone with an interest in death as it is that rare beast of a factish book that is not presented like a text book with the soul purpose of making you fall asleep.
And in the worlds of the late, great Beetlejuice - you can never trust the living.
Want to read
September 23, 201999p on Amazon 23rd September 2019
A soon as I read this in the blurb:'after Lord Horatio Nelson perished at Trafalgar, his sailors submerged him in brandy which they drank.' I was like eww and I must read this ;-D
A soon as I read this in the blurb:'after Lord Horatio Nelson perished at Trafalgar, his sailors submerged him in brandy which they drank.' I was like eww and I must read this ;-D
June 21, 2013
Most people know about the resurrectionists, the grave robbers who provided bodies for medical students in the 19th century, but a lot of other things have happened to corpses. They have been stolen to use as religious relics, held for ransom, used as exhibits, moved from place to place- not always in complete form, shot into space (at least that one was the wish of the deceased), destroyed to prevent it being used as a political symbol, and preserved and displayed them as political symbols. Most of these things were done without the permission of the deceased, and most often without the permission of the family. Lovejoy recounts 51 short tales of the adventures of the deceased, from Alexander the Great to Hunter S. Thompson. All manner of people appear in the book: scientists, dictators, saints, poets, athletes, outlaws, philosophers, composers, presidents, singers, Native American chiefs, authors, assassins and more all take a turn.
While a grim subject, the book is amusing and interesting. But I read the book straight through, and that was a mistake. I started to weary of the subject and started getting the various chapters mixed up in my mind. I think this book would be better read in bits, picking it up to read a chapter or two at a time.
While a grim subject, the book is amusing and interesting. But I read the book straight through, and that was a mistake. I started to weary of the subject and started getting the various chapters mixed up in my mind. I think this book would be better read in bits, picking it up to read a chapter or two at a time.
November 15, 2012
What a fun read. Fascinating and hilarious all at once. An interesting look at some of the strangest human behavior to persist through the ages.
March 11, 2020
There are undoubtedly a lot of great things about being famous or powerful. The money, the adoring fans, the ability to shape a country or culture.
There are also undoubtedly some not so great things. Chief amongst them apparently is that when you die, someone is libel to come along and cut off your head, limbs, or penis (if you have one that is) as a souvenir.
Bess Lovejoy’s “Rest in Pieces� is a chronicle of the date of some of history’s famous bodies and how they have become as notable in death as they were in life.
From the saga of Einstein’s brain which was surreptitiously detached from its head by the coroner only to be cut into a thousand pieces that would later appear in mayonnaise jars and tupperware containers, to the curious fate of the painter Goya described wonderfully by the Spanish consul to France:
“When the Spanish consul to France had Goya exhumed, he found two skeletons in the grave, and only one skull. He dispatched a telegraph to Madrid, saying: ‘Goya skeleton without a head. Please instruct me.� The ministry replied, ‘Send Goya, with or without head.’�
Poor Goya! Poor Goya’s head!
And what’s up with the two skeletons?? This book with its short sketches is really a lot of fun and quite informative as well.
Did you know that Dorothy Parker left her estate including all copyrights and royalties to Martin Luther King even though she had never met him?!
There are many fun stories like that to discover here. If nothing else, it will make you think about whether that person giving you an odd look is actually sizing up how many slices of your brain they can fit in a mason jar.
March 11, 2021
Anyone who knows me knows that this book is right up my alley. The concept is five stars: what happened to the dead bodies of famous people throughout history. However, through no fault of the author, the stories became a bit repetitive... there is a famous man, he dies, he is buried for x amount of years, and then he is exhumed and part of his body is stolen.
I learned a lot from this book, despite the repetition. I had no idea, for instance, that it was so common to nick bones from graves. I was also surprised to hear how a person’s “permanent resting place� is often not permanent. I had never heard of phrenology before this book (the pseudoscience of the shape/size of a person’s skull being an indication of their characteristics.)
Beyond anything else, I learned quite a bit about human nature: their thirst for the macabre; their irreverence to the dead; their longing for a place in the narrative, for better or for worse. That’s why I put the disclaimer that the repetition is through no fault of Lovejoy’s. As long as there have been humans, we have been repeating history.
My own personal takeaway from this book is that, at the end of the day, we have very little control over our bodies. The important thing is to live, and tend to the soul. I, for one, left this book glad to be alive.
I learned a lot from this book, despite the repetition. I had no idea, for instance, that it was so common to nick bones from graves. I was also surprised to hear how a person’s “permanent resting place� is often not permanent. I had never heard of phrenology before this book (the pseudoscience of the shape/size of a person’s skull being an indication of their characteristics.)
Beyond anything else, I learned quite a bit about human nature: their thirst for the macabre; their irreverence to the dead; their longing for a place in the narrative, for better or for worse. That’s why I put the disclaimer that the repetition is through no fault of Lovejoy’s. As long as there have been humans, we have been repeating history.
My own personal takeaway from this book is that, at the end of the day, we have very little control over our bodies. The important thing is to live, and tend to the soul. I, for one, left this book glad to be alive.
November 20, 2018
An interesting little volume. I'm always skeptical of a source this comprehensive; this is certainly a fascinating springboard. If you enjoy morbid history, this is a title for you. I particularly liked the political figures--like Juan and Eva Peron ("Evita"). Some of these creepy stories happened not too long ago in the grand scheme, which is even creepier.
Lots of grave robbing, which is to be expected. People were all about digging up relics of the famous for cash, and stealing bodies for medical school.
-Amanda
Lots of grave robbing, which is to be expected. People were all about digging up relics of the famous for cash, and stealing bodies for medical school.
-Amanda
March 22, 2022
I genuinely enjoyed this book - read during a London holiday, this was the perfect kind of entertainment whilst travelling.
Comprised of a series of short-ish anecdotes, this book is a mini-compendium dedicated to recording what happened to the bodies of some (very) famous folk after they died. It follows the exact same format for each person: a brief summary of how they perished, followed by what happened to their corpse (or the most likely hypothesis - needless to say, the author explains that she only included stories she could fact-check and tried not to over-indulge in unwarranted speculation). As expected, it features a lot of stories about grave-robbers, unusual post-mortem requests (such as Jeremy Bentham's) and political hot-potatoes (who knew laying Evita Peron to rest would give rise to so many issues?). If anything, this is brilliant pub-quiz knowledge and has a lot of interesting anecdotes that can be shared during polite (and less macabre) dinner table conversation - the best example I can think of is that, technically, no-body got convicted for JFK's murder. Deffo worth a read.
Comprised of a series of short-ish anecdotes, this book is a mini-compendium dedicated to recording what happened to the bodies of some (very) famous folk after they died. It follows the exact same format for each person: a brief summary of how they perished, followed by what happened to their corpse (or the most likely hypothesis - needless to say, the author explains that she only included stories she could fact-check and tried not to over-indulge in unwarranted speculation). As expected, it features a lot of stories about grave-robbers, unusual post-mortem requests (such as Jeremy Bentham's) and political hot-potatoes (who knew laying Evita Peron to rest would give rise to so many issues?). If anything, this is brilliant pub-quiz knowledge and has a lot of interesting anecdotes that can be shared during polite (and less macabre) dinner table conversation - the best example I can think of is that, technically, no-body got convicted for JFK's murder. Deffo worth a read.
March 11, 2020
I absolutely adored this book. It was a very intriguing read, and I cannot believe some of the things people have done with others' remains in the name of love, hate, or just owning some cool memento to brag about. It also is kind of sad that in all of these different stories, very few of them got their dying wishes. Some of the ones that did had to wait years, others had the exact opposite imposed upon their remains. This is a must read for anyone who loves medical curiosity, urban legends, history buffs, or crazy stories about famous people. Also it is a fine example on how mankind deals with death & how different eras, cultures, and people do & believe in very opposite things & are ready to defend those beliefs obsessively-even to the eternity which some of them believe in. Also, the appendix is a nice little treat at the end for the readers that don't usually read about stuff like this & may not know what happens to our bodies after death. I loved that the author packed it full of source material that I can't wait to scour through and read. READ THIS BOOK!
February 8, 2021
The absurdly long time it took me to get through this book is not a reflection on the book itself - life got in the way during the past month, or, rather, a relative’s death got in the way. In spite of that, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. The stories are fascinating, like things you would much rather have learned about in History class than the boring facts you were forced to memorize. This book is filled with facts, but presented in a very entertaining way. I will definitely read it again at some point.
November 14, 2018
Teilweise ganz witzig und interessant, allerdings meiner Meinung nach ein Buch, das man häppchenweise lesen sollte. Will man es in einem Rutsch, oder auch nur mehrere Kapitel am Stück lesen, wird es doch ein bisschen eintönig.
October 15, 2021
Some interesting stories, but not a must-read.
April 28, 2021
This was a quick, fun read. I'd advise people not to read it in one sitting - it could get a bit repetitive that way - but it sure is informative. It's not great for those who want an in-depth look at the way we deal with corpses, but the stories in this book will surely be useful for a trivia night.
Lovejoy has mentioned in the introduction that she decided to only mention corpses of people who were famous before dying already to keep the material manageable; I think a second book dealing with people who only became famous as corpses would be a great addition (and also not so very western-focused, male, and white, something Lovejoy already mentioned was almost inevitable because of her criterium the person had to be famous whilst alive).
If the bibliography she provides at the end (which is organised in a very convenient manner) is an indicator of all the research that went into this book, though, I have to say I wish it was longer and more in-depth; it seems that Lovejoy has read a huge amount of materials to prepare herself for writing this book.
Lovejoy has mentioned in the introduction that she decided to only mention corpses of people who were famous before dying already to keep the material manageable; I think a second book dealing with people who only became famous as corpses would be a great addition (and also not so very western-focused, male, and white, something Lovejoy already mentioned was almost inevitable because of her criterium the person had to be famous whilst alive).
If the bibliography she provides at the end (which is organised in a very convenient manner) is an indicator of all the research that went into this book, though, I have to say I wish it was longer and more in-depth; it seems that Lovejoy has read a huge amount of materials to prepare herself for writing this book.
September 28, 2024
The skeleton party definitely attracted me to this book!October is nearly here and my spooky Autumn reading has begun.
Rest In Pieces was delightfully macabre, Lovejoy detailing the curious and grisly deaths of some of the world’s most famous faces, as well as recounting tales of grave snatching. Thomas Beckett, Richard III, Voltaire, Edgar Allen Poe, Lord Byron, John Milton and countless more. Centuries of questions around these historic deaths and the use of remains as sought after collectibles. For me the one that will stick with me is the death and aftermath of poet Percy Shelley. It was his wife Mary, author of Frankstein and mother of Science fiction, who kept his heart 🫀
Who knew death could be so fascinating. We all know Edinburgh’s infamous body snatchers Burke and Hare, but there were far more opportunists than we realise 🪦🍂🍁
Rest In Pieces was delightfully macabre, Lovejoy detailing the curious and grisly deaths of some of the world’s most famous faces, as well as recounting tales of grave snatching. Thomas Beckett, Richard III, Voltaire, Edgar Allen Poe, Lord Byron, John Milton and countless more. Centuries of questions around these historic deaths and the use of remains as sought after collectibles. For me the one that will stick with me is the death and aftermath of poet Percy Shelley. It was his wife Mary, author of Frankstein and mother of Science fiction, who kept his heart 🫀
Who knew death could be so fascinating. We all know Edinburgh’s infamous body snatchers Burke and Hare, but there were far more opportunists than we realise 🪦🍂🍁
January 22, 2025
If you're going into this book expecting a comprehensive history of anybody featured, then you'll likely be disappointed. The titular famous corpses are many, and the explorations of their fates quite succinct, with some significant details notably omitted from some of the more controversial figures in the book.
That said, Rest In Pieces is a delightful read for anyone whose interests lean towards the morbid. Lovejoy does an outstanding job of telling the stories of the posthumous adventures of the famous & infamous alike, and she does so while maintaining an impressive balance between macabre humour and respect for the deceased. If you're interested in the subject matter, this is a wonderfully easy read to breeze through in an afternoon.
That said, Rest In Pieces is a delightful read for anyone whose interests lean towards the morbid. Lovejoy does an outstanding job of telling the stories of the posthumous adventures of the famous & infamous alike, and she does so while maintaining an impressive balance between macabre humour and respect for the deceased. If you're interested in the subject matter, this is a wonderfully easy read to breeze through in an afternoon.
March 11, 2024
If you had told me a few years ago that I would be fascinated by the subject of historical corpses, I wouldn’t have believed you.
This book is a very accessible, quick to read collection discussing many famous folks and what happened to their remains. History is apparently full of skull theft and questionable anatomical souvenirs.
This book is a very accessible, quick to read collection discussing many famous folks and what happened to their remains. History is apparently full of skull theft and questionable anatomical souvenirs.
January 15, 2020
A very entertaining read about what happens to famous or infamous people once they're dead and gone. This books included a nice mix of people and timelines and I especially enjoyed the little tidbits sprinkled throughout about other people and their odd post mortem adventures.
May 14, 2018
Quick informative read. Some funny and horrifying adventures that these famous corpses have had. Speaks to cultural norms about death. Certainly not in the way that Caitlin Doughty does, but entertaining book.
May 31, 2013
This book briefly, but on several occasions, insults Catholics & the Orthodox but I will address that at the end. As I browsed though the table of contents I was quite surprised at how well read I've become on this rather macabre topic as I noticed expected names. I then proceeded to look for some specific names to see if they were included and found everyone so I was quite pleased with the read ahead of me. At first I was a little disappointed that the book was not written as a cohesive unit but rather simply as a collection of mini-biographies of what happened to famous corpses (or parts of) over the years though it is divided into common themed sections. The stories are irreverent, with the author's voice thrown in for humour, but quite detailed and extremely interesting. They are short and basic, however, so more details would be found in books dedicated to a singular person or a more academic volume such as Dickey's "Cranioklepty". The book itself has a unique shape, not very wide like a paperback but tall. It reminds me of one of those "Uncle John Bathroom Readers" in appearance and once you've read this book, it would make a great addition to your guest bathroom reading basket as it would be sure to bring some stimulating reading. The only thing I took issue with in this book, and I'll try to keep it brief, is that I was offended by the author's treatment of Catholic personalities. She goes on to say several times that Catholics "worship" Saints and relics; she also accuses the Orthodox of "worshipping" the remains of Saints. This is not only untrue but offensive to two of the world's largest religions. The first commandment states that Christians shall worship none other than God and to blatantly state they do otherwise is nothing short of ignorance. I don't want to get on a soapbox about this but that the author, editor, publisher did not catch this in time is unforgivable. Catholics\Orthodox venerate, honor, respect, hold in high reverence both the Saints and their relics but in no shape or form do they "worship" them. This glaring untruth should be edited if the book is reprinted and fixed immediately in electronic versions, imho.
March 22, 2013
“Rest in Pieces� by Bess Lovejoy, published by Simon and Schuster.
Category � History
This book could be considered History, maybe macabre, and possibly maybe even funny. I guess it is what you want to make of it.
Bess Lovejoy has put together about 50 stories of people famous and infamous that have died and left a “legacy� about their remains. She has broken it down into sections ranging from Politics to Unsolved Mysteries.
The stories range from people who have been beheaded and the travels of their skulls through people and sometimes countries to the cremation remains and what was done with them.
Body parts and ashes have been studied, stolen, bought and sold. Many body parts may or may not have belonged to the person they have been attributed to, in some cases painstaking studies have been made and the use of forensics used to authenticate their veracity.
There have been stories that Walt Disney’s frozen corpse lies beneath the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, was the item in a polished wooden box that looked like a blackened, overripe banana, about a foot long really the penis of Gregori Rasputin, and many other intriguing questions and facts fill this book of curious fates of famous or infamous corpses.
An interesting book that will appeal to many readers, both readers looking for something different and those that are really interested in what happened to the remains of celebrated people.
Category � History
This book could be considered History, maybe macabre, and possibly maybe even funny. I guess it is what you want to make of it.
Bess Lovejoy has put together about 50 stories of people famous and infamous that have died and left a “legacy� about their remains. She has broken it down into sections ranging from Politics to Unsolved Mysteries.
The stories range from people who have been beheaded and the travels of their skulls through people and sometimes countries to the cremation remains and what was done with them.
Body parts and ashes have been studied, stolen, bought and sold. Many body parts may or may not have belonged to the person they have been attributed to, in some cases painstaking studies have been made and the use of forensics used to authenticate their veracity.
There have been stories that Walt Disney’s frozen corpse lies beneath the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, was the item in a polished wooden box that looked like a blackened, overripe banana, about a foot long really the penis of Gregori Rasputin, and many other intriguing questions and facts fill this book of curious fates of famous or infamous corpses.
An interesting book that will appeal to many readers, both readers looking for something different and those that are really interested in what happened to the remains of celebrated people.
July 7, 2013
Unlike the usual "how they died" encyclopedias, "Rest in Pieces" is an encyclopedia of "what happened to them after they died." Lovejoy's criteria for inclusion in the book: the people had to be famous and they couldn't rest peacefully in an undisturbed grave for eternity.
That's not to say this doesn't include the stories you expect: Vladimir Lenin's permanent snooze in his mausoleum in Red Square, Evita Peron's postmortem kidnapping, the road trips of Einstein's brain. In addition to those, it probes the mystery of the Skull & Bones skull said to be Geronimo's, the penis said to be Rasputin's, and the organ found in Mary Shelley's writing desk. It even explores more recent dispositions, like Hunter Thompson's fireworks display and Osama bin Laden's burial at sea.
Lovejoy's tone leans toward the snarky side of respectful, which feels appropriate. The only other way to go would be sustained outrage: how could Dorothy Parker's ashes have been kept in a filing cabinet? How could Americans lose Thomas Paine's body? How could Galileo Galilei been buried in a closet?
A fascinating page-turner. I look forward to seeing what Lovejoy will investigate next.
That's not to say this doesn't include the stories you expect: Vladimir Lenin's permanent snooze in his mausoleum in Red Square, Evita Peron's postmortem kidnapping, the road trips of Einstein's brain. In addition to those, it probes the mystery of the Skull & Bones skull said to be Geronimo's, the penis said to be Rasputin's, and the organ found in Mary Shelley's writing desk. It even explores more recent dispositions, like Hunter Thompson's fireworks display and Osama bin Laden's burial at sea.
Lovejoy's tone leans toward the snarky side of respectful, which feels appropriate. The only other way to go would be sustained outrage: how could Dorothy Parker's ashes have been kept in a filing cabinet? How could Americans lose Thomas Paine's body? How could Galileo Galilei been buried in a closet?
A fascinating page-turner. I look forward to seeing what Lovejoy will investigate next.
April 3, 2021
I really loved the description of this book, but I didn't enjoy the actual book as much. It is the accurate descriptions of what happened to the corpses of some of our heroes, or anti-heroes, from history. Bess Lovejoy did a great job with research. You can see how tirelessly she worked.
However the version that I read was longer then normal, so the pages were a little wonky. And I could never quite get over that. And the stories, while having humorous asides, still seemed a little dry to me. And unfortunately, a lot of the stories are already forgotten. They were just too similar.
Unfortunately, I would not recommend this book.
However the version that I read was longer then normal, so the pages were a little wonky. And I could never quite get over that. And the stories, while having humorous asides, still seemed a little dry to me. And unfortunately, a lot of the stories are already forgotten. They were just too similar.
Unfortunately, I would not recommend this book.
October 20, 2017
A pretty quick, but very fun and informational read. I appreciate Lovejoy's wit and sense of humor when dealing with as difficult a subject as death and corpses. If you're curious at all about the final fate of your favorite poets, musicians, and celebrities, Lovejoy's book is a must-read!
August 15, 2019
I am not quite sure how a cool and novel topic such as the handling of famous people bodies after they've died can be treated so "meh" but here it is. Sometimes cool, often a bore. This is fairly hum drum and I was disappointed with it.
May 25, 2020
The book is divided into sections � Science and Medicine, Crime and Punishment, Unsolved Mysteries etc. The subjects include Roman emperors, philosophers, authors, actors and native American chiefs. Much of the content is macabre, as is to be expected. Take the fate of Oliver Cromwell’s head, which was removed from the earth and put on a pike, to the dismay of his daughter. There are also disputable cases; none more so than outlaw Jesse James whom numerous people claimed to be after his purported ‘death�. And then there are the bizarre cases, such as Napoleon Bonaparte and his alleged member, which was bought at auction by a urologist, but turned out to be a sea cucumber.
'Rest In Pieces' is brimming with trivia that might prove useful in a pub quiz. However, it is not as engrossing as this reader anticipated. The matter-of-fact narration might be effective, but it is dry, relentless and monotonous. Nonetheless, this morbid offering is informative and revealing � A book best dipped into, rather than devoured whole.
'Rest In Pieces' is brimming with trivia that might prove useful in a pub quiz. However, it is not as engrossing as this reader anticipated. The matter-of-fact narration might be effective, but it is dry, relentless and monotonous. Nonetheless, this morbid offering is informative and revealing � A book best dipped into, rather than devoured whole.
March 19, 2025
I can’t believe I waited so long to start this book! The author does a fantastic job exploring the many bizarre, unexpected, and sometimes hilarious ways historical figures have been buried (or not). The writing strikes a perfect balance between informative and entertaining, making it an easy book to pick up and put down without losing the thread.
With the hopes of not giving away any spoilers. One of the standout sections had me completely convinced that if I ever see a body part in a museum, there’s a 99.9% chance it’s not actually what they claim it is. And the deep dive into the fate of certain famous� appendages? Absolutely priceless. Let’s just say, if the Napoleon Complex had a true origin, it might not be what we’ve all assumed!
Overall, this was such a well researched and well produced read, covering a fascinating range of historical figures. I’ll definitely be recommending it!
With the hopes of not giving away any spoilers. One of the standout sections had me completely convinced that if I ever see a body part in a museum, there’s a 99.9% chance it’s not actually what they claim it is. And the deep dive into the fate of certain famous� appendages? Absolutely priceless. Let’s just say, if the Napoleon Complex had a true origin, it might not be what we’ve all assumed!
Overall, this was such a well researched and well produced read, covering a fascinating range of historical figures. I’ll definitely be recommending it!
February 21, 2025
Perfect fuel for my morbid interests! This was a really fun collection of stories, that were told incredibly respectfully - I feel when its someone long dead, especially of questionable morality, its easy to make fun and light of what becomes of them in death, but Lovejoy handles all these true stories with professionalism and intrigue.
Some were incredibly similar, a huge portion of these being that the bones of the deceased were moved and therefore we don't know where they actually ended up, which did get a little repetitive at times. However on the whole I had a great time reading this and enjoyed (hmm, maybe the wrong word), learning so much about the infamous dead!
Some were incredibly similar, a huge portion of these being that the bones of the deceased were moved and therefore we don't know where they actually ended up, which did get a little repetitive at times. However on the whole I had a great time reading this and enjoyed (hmm, maybe the wrong word), learning so much about the infamous dead!
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