Product Description

Why do unfortunates suffer from Montezuma's revenge? Just what was so Great about Peter, Catherine, Frederick and Alexander? What did Cleopatra see to admire in the fat man with a beard - Mark Anthony? Learn all this and more in Will Cuppy's humorous romp through the great names of world history. First published in 1950, it presents the stories of heroes and villains through the ages - from Nero and Cleopatra to Attila the Hun; from Lady Godiva and Lucrezia Borgia to Christopher Columbus and Leif the Lucky - as you've never known them before: foolish, fallible and very much our common ancestors.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36262 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Will Cuppy wrote a weekly column of reviews of mystery books for the New York Herald Tribune and various freelance journalism for other newspapers and magazines. His other books include How to Tell Your Friends from the Apes (1931), How to Get from January to December and how to become Extinct. He died in 1949.

Customer Reviews

What more can I say?
This book is such a good read, made even better by the fact that it is so well researched and constructed. It could even (nay, should) be taught in schools. It has won me so many general knowledge quizzes that I could go on all day heaping praise on it. READ IT NOW!

The funniest history book ever
In this marvellous book Will Cuppy tells the life stories of some of history's most famous men and women, in his onw inimitable style. He starts with the Egyptian Pharoah Cheops, or Khufu, and goes on to discuss the female pharoah Hatshepsut, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, Atillia the Hun, Lucrezia Borgia, William the Conqueror, and many others. His comments on the lives and habits of the people he writes about are hilarious. Discussing Henry VIII's conduct in bringing about the execution of two of his wives, he remarks "As a matter of fact, Henry merely allowed the law to take its course, but some people feel that a really thoughtful husband would have done something about it." And writing of the childhood of Peter the Great he says "his teacher permitted him to develop his own individuality, and if you have met any such children I don't have to tell you." Writing of Agrippina, mother of Nero, he says "Agrippina was a sister of Caligula. You don't get over a thing like that." Every chapter in this book is full of hilarious comments. I have lost count of the number of times I have read this book, and still find it blissfully funny every time. The illustrations by William Steig are delightful too.

The book for Historians
I first read this book from my fathers library in the late 1960's. In college I learned of the secret History underground that made knowledge of this book THE required text to understanding history.

As another reviewer has written, this book could replace whole libraries of reference material. This is because Mr. Cuppy could reduce complex Ideas and Actions into a 6 word sentence. Few people can do it as well as he could.

From time to time a writer will come out with Mr. Cuppy's style. The book, "Hail to the Chiefs", about American Presidents, is one of the best (Alas, it is out of print as well!).

Find this book and enjoy your past. Then look at a dusty old tome and the latest news from Washington and have a good laugh.