The Portable Obituary
How the Famous, Rich and Powerful Really Died
"How the Famous Really Died"
4.4 on Amazon · 38 ratings · 304 pages · HarperCollins, 2007
Publication details
- Author
- Michael Largo
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- 2007
- Length
- 304 pages
- Genre
- Horror
- ISBN
- 978-0061231667
About the book
Everyone wonders about famous celebrity deaths, though few admit it at dinner. The Portable Obituary is for the people who wonder. From Socrates to Anna Nicole, Michael Largo tracks how the famous, rich, and powerful actually took their final bows, and what the manner of their going says about the way they lived.
The premise is simple and a little wicked: a famous person's deeds, intimate habits, and lifestyle shaped their mode of death, and their mode of death shaped their place in history. Largo follows that thread through centuries of notable corpses, checking legend against record, and the record usually turns out to be the better story.
The New York Times called it a fascinating compendium of famous deaths that will keep you reading long into the night, and the Horror Writers Association named it a Bram Stoker Award finalist in nonfiction, the second time Largo's research earned the horror world's attention for the simple reason that reality is frightening enough.
If you have ever fallen down a rabbit hole reading about how famous people died, consider this the authoritative bottom of the rabbit hole. Luridly compelling, hilariously macabre, and thoroughly checked.
Inside the book
Which performers, from Mozart to rock and roll, ended their lives on the wrong note?
What famous U.S. bridge bears the name of an explorer who was eaten by cannibals?
Does Lady Luck visit lottery winners bearing deadly fangs?
What really became of the Gilligan's Island castaways, and the actors who played them?
How the famous really died, from Socrates to Anna Nicole, checked against the record
Questions readers ask
What is The Portable Obituary about?
It is a compendium of how the famous, rich, and powerful really died, from Socrates to Anna Nicole. Michael Largo connects how notable figures lived with the way they went, checking the legends against the record.
Is The Portable Obituary a good Halloween book for adults?
Readers think so. One Amazon reviewer wrote that while this might be particularly interesting reading around Halloween, it is totally appropriate year round. Real celebrity deaths, checked against the record, need no costume.
How did famous people die, according to the book?
In every way imaginable, and several ways you would not imagine. The book covers centuries of famous deaths and finds that the documented truth is usually stranger than the popular legend.
Is The Portable Obituary based on real deaths?
Yes. Every entry is drawn from historical records, obituaries, and documented accounts. Nothing is invented, which is precisely what makes it unsettling.
Did The Portable Obituary win any awards?
It was named a Bram Stoker Award finalist in nonfiction by the Horror Writers Association. Michael Largo had already won the Bram Stoker Award for Final Exits the year before.
Where can I buy The Portable Obituary?
The Portable Obituary is available on Amazon in paperback. Use the buy button on this page to go straight to the book's Amazon page.
Critical Acclaim
"A fascinating compendium of famous deaths that will keep you reading long into the night."
The New York Times
What the numbers say
4.4 / 5
Amazon · 38 ratings
304
Pages
2007
HarperCollins
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Bram Stoker Award Finalist - Nonfiction
About the author
Michael Largo
Michael Largo is a bestselling author of encyclopedic works exploring death, nature, and the macabre. His Bram Stoker Award-winning Final Exits established him as America's foremost chronicler of mortality.
How the Famous Really Died
Get the book on Amazon arrow_outwardPublished by HarperCollins, 2007