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David Frost's Book of the World's Worst Decisions Hardcover – January 1, 1983

3.0 3.0 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

A selection of truly terrible decisions, regrettable bloopers made in virtually every field from ancient times to the present

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown Pub; First Edition (January 1, 1983)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 124 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0517549778
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0517549773
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.5 ounces
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.0 3.0 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

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David Frost
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Customer reviews

3 out of 5 stars
3 out of 5
4 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2020
DAVID FROST’S BOOK OF THE WORLD’S WORST DECISIONS

My Dad (God rest his soul) borrowed a copy of this book back in circa 1984, when I was 9 years old. Back then, (bearing in mind that this book is classified in the Humour genre), I did find the incidents described therein as rather funny, especially (1) the ill-fated British K-boats of WWI and (2) the story of James Barthes, the South African hang glider who made a lewd gesture at a nude sunbathing lady and got blasted out of the sky by her submachine gun-wielding jealous husband for her troubles.

However, re-reading the book now from an adult perspective, while the Arnie Levin cartoons are certainly funny, I find of the stories in her too damn tragic to be humorous, from the 1969 “Soccer War” between Honduras and El Salvador to the horrific ravages of Josef Stalin to the fall of Singapore to the needless death iconic blues singer Bessie Smith to that idiot bulldozer operator Mr. Keenan who destroyed the historic Monkspath Hall Georgian mansion.

Though in fairness, the reader can share in the proverbial last laugh of historical icons like Albert Einstein and Sir Winston Churchill, who, as the author describes, were denigrated by their early childhood teachers as being lacking in intelligence and potential, or Emily Brontë, Beatrix Potter, and Frederick Forsyth, who all went onto become successful authors in spite of initial rejections by clueless publishers and literary critics.

—p. 83: Describes the Battle of Chillianwalla (during the Anglo-Sikh Wars) in 1849 as “an unprecedented disaster,” but actually it was an indecisive battle with both sides taking heavy casualties and both sides claiming victory.

—p. 86: Seriously, the Alamo and William Bart Travis make Mr. Frost’s list? And the author’s’ assumption that this was about simply “teaching the natives a lesson?” With all due respect to the late, great Mr. Frost (God rest his soul), what a gross oversimplification(!): while Travis and his fellow Texans were indeed wiped out at the Alamo, the Mexicans under General Santa Anna won that battle but ended up losing both the war and the territory of the Republic of Texas. And Frost also conveniently overlooked the many Tejanos who fought on the side of the Texians against Santa Anna!

—p. 118: Okay, this one’s pretty funny:
“Always a Mistake
INVADING RUSSIA
MARRYING HENRY VIII
ACCEPTING A CABINET POST IN IRAN OR IRAQ”
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Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2002
Im really into humor books, and I was searching around Amazon to select a book to read for reading class in school. So, as I was searching I found this book and ordered it. It was a really awesome book, and it makes you laugh outloud. I almost peed my pants. I don't regret getting this book, and I think everyone should have a chance reading it.
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Top reviews from other countries

Joep Zwaan
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 21, 2015
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