The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody by Will Cuppy 240 pp.
This work was a bestseller in 1950 and a favorite of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Cuppy researched verifiable facts about many famous figures of history and combined them with his hilarious snarky comments to produce an historical and laugh-out-loud funny version of times past. Where else can you read about what a delightful companion Montezuma was while beheading ten slaves a day. Or that the first white child born in America was not Virginia Dare, as we were taught in school, but Snorri, a nephew of Leif Ericsson. I am guilty of passing over footnotes in many books. But if you ignore them in this one you miss out on half the fun and lots of the author's snark. I laughed out loud at many parts of book. It's a shame it isn't longer. The simple illustrations by William Steig, creator of Shrek, add to the enjoyment.
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