Strange deaths: More than 375 freakish fatalites [Hardcover]

Paul; Simmons, Ian; Stevenson, Val Sieveking (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 126 pages
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760719470
• ISBN-13: 978-0760719473
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,029,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Underdocumented To Death, December 2, 2006

By 

The Comtesse DeSpair (http://asylumeclectica.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strange deaths: More than 375 freakish fatalites (Hardcover)

This is a slim compilation of short summaries of the bizarre manners in which people have been killed over the years. It's a fun read, but it's sullied by the lazy manner in which the information is presented - short on historical detail or documentation to support the facts. The authors make no excuses and admit upfront that some of the items listed may be less than factual, which is something I can't forgive in a book like this. If only they'd taken the time to actually check out the stories, so that I knew that was I was reading was true, it would be so much more meaningful. Alas...

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark humor about the final chapter and verse, March 5, 2010

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Strange deaths: More than 375 freakish fatalites (Hardcover)

Although this book is about the manner in which people met their deaths, it does have an amusing side. With billions of people on the planet and all at some point facing death, it is natural that many of them would be rather bizarre. The oddest of all are some of the suicides, one of the most disturbing is the woman that killed herself by sawing herself in half lengthwise.
It is therapeutic to laugh at death and in some sense even to mock it, for if we didn't the reality and finality could overwhelm us. Life is to be enjoyed, so in an odd sort of way, reading this book is a way to enjoy life, because some of these circumstances are really strange. So unusual that occasionally even the author questions whether it is in fact just an urban myth.

4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, and Disturbing, December 13, 2006

By 

S. Sipes "slave to the arts" (So. California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strange deaths: More than 375 freakish fatalites (Hardcover)

I found it sad and funny, even if some of the stories may have been factual... The authors weren't going for thurough, so don't expect a crime novel in this book. But still very amusing!