LET THEM EAT CAKE

This amusing collection of true stories, ranging from the era of Ancient Greece to the present day, gives the reader an insight into how past leaders really acted. The author has trawled a vast number of historical stories in his search for diverting episodes, funny stories and even fearful tales, bringing us the details that are often left out of history textbooks. Aeschylus, killed when a bird dropped a tortoise on his head, rubs shoulders with King George III, who talked to trees. We encounter Doctor Johnson, who loved rolling down hills, the Ethiopian emperor Menelik who nursed himself when ill by cating pages of the Bible, and Elizabeth the gravedigger, who sold off John Milton's bones one by one. Some of the stories are poignant, like that of the small dog found cowering under the skirts of the executed Mary Queen of Scots, while others are whimsical or astonishing. Arranged according to a variety of topics, this treasury of history's most entertaining anecdotes makes for hugely enjoyable reading.