McDonald, William The New York Times Book Of The Dead (0316395471)

The obituary page is the section many readers first turn to not only see who died, but to read some of the most inspiring, insightful, often funny, and elegantly written stories celebrating the lives of the men and women who have influenced on our world. This book, for the first time, chronicles the lives of these history-makers from the past 160 years through the obits page of The New York Times, one of the most talked about and lingered over sections of the newspaper.

Arranged into sections like People of Letters, Entertainers and Performers, Politicians and Leaders, and the Infamous, the selected obituaries, hand-picked by obituaries editor, Bill McDonald, include fascinating lives from recent history -- from FDR to Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe to Robin Williams, Albert Einstein to Robert Oppenheimer, Princess Grace to Lady Di, Al Capone to John Gotti, and more than 300 more including some lesser-known but remarkable people who's compelling lives and inventions have impacted the world.

Also included is a web-key which allows instant access to an exclusive website featuring 10,000 selected obituaries which are easily searchable by name, theme, dates, and more.

Designed with 150 black-and-white photographs, this tomb-sized book plus website package is the perfect gift.