With humor and directness, the authors provide simple descriptions that remove the mysterious cachet of historical figures. Fly straight through, reading by chapters - Gruesome Deaths, Highly Sexed, Consumed by Flames, Alchemists, Athletes, to name just a few. Or find the person of interest in the index. Either way, you'll be relieved to find the likes of Flaubert, Rimbaud, Proust, Trotsky, Zola, and Socrates can be boiled down to a digestible few key ideas. Flummox prevention! Icon Books Ltd., London. 2016. Paper. NEW. $7.00