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Dead Famous

An Unexpected History of Celebrity from Bronze Age to Silver Screen

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About this listen

 'Fizzes with clever vignettes and juicy tidbits... [a] joyous romp of a book.' Guardian

'A fascinating, rollicking book in search of why, where and how fame strikes. Sit back and enjoy the ride.' Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads

'[An] engaging and well-researched book... Jenner brings his material to vivid life' Observer

Celebrity, with its neon glow and selfie pout, strikes us as hypermodern. But the famous and infamous have been thrilling, titillating, and outraging us for much longer than we might realise. Whether it was the scandalous Lord Byron, whose poetry sent female fans into an erotic frenzy; or the cheetah-owning, coffin-sleeping, one-legged French actress Sarah Bernhardt, who launched a violent feud with her former best friend; or Edmund Kean, the dazzling Shakespearean actor whose monstrous ego and terrible alcoholism saw him nearly murdered by his own audience - the list of stars whose careers burned bright before the Age of Television is extensive and thrillingly varied.

In this ambitious history, that spans the Bronze Age to the coming of Hollywood's Golden Age, Greg Jenner assembles a vibrant cast of over 125 actors, singers, dancers, sportspeople, freaks, demigods, ruffians, and more, in search of celebrity's historical roots. He reveals why celebrity burst into life in the early eighteenth century, how it differs to ancient ideas of fame, the techniques through which it was acquired, how it was maintained, the effect it had on public tastes, and the psychological burden stardom could place on those in the glaring limelight. DEAD FAMOUS is a surprising, funny, and fascinating exploration of both a bygone age and how we came to inhabit our modern, fame obsessed society.©2020 Greg Jenner (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group Social Sciences World Celebrity Funny Witty Thought-Provoking
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Absolutely loved this book in quarantine! It was super interesting, really well done. Greg is so funny that you don't even notice you're learning History because he's making it accessible to all. I'm recommending this book to everyone I know!

Well researched & entertaining

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Really worth a listen. Extremely good narration. Entertaining and thought-provoking. Made me value my privacy more than ever. Recommend highly

Really enjoyable listen. Fascinating characters.

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I love Greg's style. There is a lot of information here but it's told in an entertaining way that keeps you hooked. I learnt lots of new information.

informative and Entertaining

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Highly recommend this book. Some amazing tales and it's all told very well. Accessible history.

Funny and fascinating

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Really enjoyed this history of celebrity- from notoriety to fandom - an excellent accessible book which educates and entertains! A great balance, feel like I learned and laughed a lot, and Jenner’s narration is fab!

A great storytelling history of celebrity

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