Last Words: Dictionary of Deathbed Quotations - Hardcover

"useful keyword index...an engaging book, useful for research as well as reference"--Choice

The last words of the dying often provide insight into their feelings about life. Some are peaceful (It is very beautiful over there--Thomas Alva Edison); many are spiritual (Dont ask the Lord to keep me here. Ask him to have mercy--Walker Percy); others are angry (God-damn the whole frigging world and everybody in it--except you Carlotta--W.C. Fields); still others reflect the weary fight against death (Im bored of it all--Sir Winston Churchill). Nearly 2,000 deathbed quotations from saints, popes, statesmen, scientists, soldiers, musicians, athletes, artists, entertainers, writers, criminals and others are included in this reference work. Each entry includes a brief biographical sketch of the person and sets the quotation in context. The sources for the quotes include biographies, newspaper and magazine accounts, and, in a few instances, firsthand accounts.