The Last Word: The New York Times Book of Obituaries and Farewells [Paperback]

Marvin Siegel (Editor), Russell Baker (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1998

Anecdotal, inspiring, frequently amusing, and elegantly concise, the obituary page of The New York Times has earned a huge following. The Last Word is a fascinating compilation of 100 of the most colorful, entertaining, and touching obits that have appeared in the last few years.

The collection deliberately omits celebrities to concentrate on an eclectic mix of lesser-known men and women whose compelling lives have often changed the world they lived in. You may not have heard of Julian Hill, but he changed your life as the inventor of nylon. You'll meet others like him: a quiet man who braved the hostility of racists to integrate the University of Georgia; a woman who turned chopped liver into a million-dollar business; the man who gave the Beat Generation its very name; and a reclusive woman who turned a $5,000 nest egg into a $22 million fortune that she left to a school she never attended.

The collection also includes commentary by some of the Times's finest writers and contributors such as Jules Feiffer, William E. Geist, James Gleick, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Anna Quindlen, William Styron, and Wendy Wasserstein.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

It is nearly impossible to name a favorite farewell among the 100 honored in this compilation of obituaries (few if any famous names are included). In his foreword, Russell Baker takes a light, reverential approach to the obits that follow. Among those honored is Jerry Siegel, who created Superman, eventually a billion-dollar industry, and who sold the rights to the man from Krypton for $130. Then there's Elizabeth Paepcke, the artistic-minded developer of Aspen, who, among her many aspirations, sought to weed the mountains of thistles, and Immaculata Cuomo, mother of the former New York governor. Taken collectively, these obituaries are like a hallelujah chorus, praising the accomplishments of the living. Editor Siegel, assistant to the managing editor of the New York Times, and all the obit writers whose work appears here deserve a similar chorus of thanks.?Robert Kelly, Fort Wayne Community Schs., Ind.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From The New Yorker

This weighty and enlightening volume ... is nectar to those of us who consider the obituary to be not merely an art form but one of the few art forms that have remained coherent enough to demand any measure of obedience. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Quill (HarperCollins); First Edition edition (December 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688166377
• ISBN-13: 978-0688166373
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #808,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indeed, the Last Word on Obituary Writing, August 26, 2001

By 

Galia Berry - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Word: The New York Times Book of Obituaries and Farewells (Paperback)

Rather than an ode to death, this book cherishes lives onced lived by all kinds of people. Whether brilliant or simple, rich or poor, actions great or discreet, each of the people written about contributed to society in a meaningful (and often surprising) way. Equally outstanding are the authors of these obituaries, whose writing talents manage to entertain, educate and move the reader deeply without being maudlin. Even more importantly, this book forces us to examine our own lives: what will people say about us when we've faced our Maker? For those of us who come up pitifully short, this book inspires even the common man to contribute to society, and strive for -- and hopefully, attain -- spiritual immortality.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars thought-provoking and entertaining, November 6, 2002

By 

audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: The Last Word: The New York Times Book of Obituaries and Farewells (Paperback)

You wouldn't think a book of obituaries would be entertaining, but it is when the obits are well-written and celebrate the lives and characters of the 100+ people found in this collection. The subjects are most often unknown to the majority of us, but the various authors (including well-known NYT obituary author Robert McG. Thomas, Jr.) humanize each subject and inspire you to contemplate your own life. Most essays are a couple of pages long, and there is an introduction by Russell Baker.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any commode (that's a compliment), July 1, 1999

By 

tcbnyc "tcbnyc" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Word: The New York Times Book of Obituaries and Farewells (Paperback)

In our celebrity-obsessed culture, in which bland, no-talent know-nothing windbags like "Dharma and Greg's" Jenna Elfman are considered national treasures and given lengthy pseudo-important profiles in glossy magazines, it is refreshing to read about lives that actually have meaning; about people who commit their lives to doing interesting things for others and for themselves; people whose lives take amazing twists of fate, people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances and react in ways that no one could predict. The genius of this book is that it covers not the obvious obits of international icons like, say, John Lennon or Richard Nixon, but people whom you may have never heard of, such as the inventor of kiddy litter or the great bluesman Willie Dixon. And they are written not as morbid reflections on death, but as the book's subtitle says "celebrations of life." The Last Word also holds the important distinction of being the greatest bathroom book I have ever read. Why not put it in your own john?