The Pessimist's Guide to History: An Irresistible Compendium of Catastrophes, Barbarities, Massacres and Mayhem from the Big Bang to the New Millenniu

Not always accurate but usually entertaining. Nice snappy descriptions of terrible tragedies always improve my outlook when I think I'm having a bad day.

Are you the type of person who has shelves stacked with biographies? Who finds that reading books about the Russian Revolution is just as interesting as reading fiction? If so, you'll probably like this book. It isn't deep, it isn't weighty, but it's morbid entertainment of the best sort. Spanning facts from the Big Bang to the Oklahoma City Bombings, this book covers most of the horrible things that humans have done to each other, or that nature has done to humans (or vice versa). It's not a book to sit down and read cover to cover, by any means. However, for the history junkies like myself, it's the bathroom book to die for. In short, I would recommend this to anyone with a passing interest in history and a sense of humor that has a bit of morbidity to it.

Who knew the author could make catastrophes throughout history so interesting. It is a very thorough book going all the way back to biblical times. Every natural and man-made disaster that has occured is mentioned.

If you like slowing down to look at traffic accidents,this is the book for you.Its rather morbid and depressing but quite fascinating and educational as well. I couldn't put it down until I read the whole thing. It will make you wonder how the human race has managed to last this long.

The Pessimist's Guide To History written by the late Stuart Flexner and his wife Doris is one of the best tongue in cheek accounts of the history of the world. The premise of this book is The universe began with a rude awakening, it only went downhill from that point.Flexner points out all the cataclysmic events that have been recorded throughout history from manmade problems to natural disasters. He gives insight that if you think things are bad today, you are wrong, things have always been bad. There have always been hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and other things which have wiped out large portions of humankind. There have been various diseases which have literally wiped out towns way before AIDS was known. There have been real life monsters that would make Charlie Manson look like a boy scout. If you ever feel we are going to hell in a hand basket, read this book for comfort.His writing style is so easy going that even if you have never read a history book before, he will make you glued to this book and want to search out other sources to get the complete dirt on all of these historical facts.This is not your typical school history book. No one is put on a pedestal and glamorized for the sake of political correctness or national pride. He looked the truth of history in the eye and called it like he saw it.I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially for high school students who do not show much interest in history. This book could be the boost they need.