Karl Shaw Book order

The life and death of a 19th-century circus legend.

New paperback edition - Before 'the greatest showman' P.T. Barnham there was Philip Astley, a British man who completely changed popular entertainment. This is his extraordinary story.

A riotously entertaining account of the lives of British and other European aristocrats - stories of madness, murder, misery, greed and profligacy.

'The English aristocrat John 'Mad Jack' Mytton died a bloated, paralysed and penniless debtor in prison. His premature demise was partly due to injuries sustained while setting fire to his own night-shirt to try to cure hiccups. Just before the horribly burned Mytton slumped into unconsciousness he said, "Well, the hiccups is gone, by God."' An 18th-century French scholar attributed the British talent for eccentricity to a 'mixture of fogs, beef and beer...aggravated by the tedium of the English Sunday'. Whatever the reason, the British Isles do seem to have thrown up more than their fair share of magnificent oddballs, the finest of which are profiled in this fast, funny celebration of over 200 aristocrats, inventors, artists and the just plain weird... * Dr Samuel Johnson is said to have shaved off all of his bodily hair, just to see how long it would take to grow back * Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire, once related an experience he had at Westminster: 'I had a horrid nightmare. I dreamed I was making a speech in the House of Lords, and woke up to find I actually was.' * Percy Bysshe Shelley once tied a cat to a kite in a thunder storm to see if it would be electrocuted

Over 2,000 years of epic failure and underachievement

Strange... Astonishing... Fascinating... an extraordinary collection of weird and wonderful facts and tales from around the world.

The follow-up collection features an outrageous assortment of true trivia that promises to shock and amuse readers. Karl Shaw curates a diverse range of bizarre and absurd facts, ensuring that no topic is off-limits. This entertaining compilation invites readers to explore the extremes of human experience, from the utterly ridiculous to the surprisingly profound, making it a captivating read for those with a taste for the unconventional.

All in perfectly bad tastePrepare 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”)

This engaging history explores the scandalous and often absurd tales of Europe's royal families, revealing the eccentricities and intrigues that shaped their reigns. Through a humorous lens, it uncovers the darker side of monarchy, showcasing the power struggles, betrayals, and bizarre behaviors that characterized these dynasties. Readers will gain a newfound appreciation for democratic governance as they delve into the chaotic lives of those who once ruled with absolute power.