{"title":"Riley Knight","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRiley Knight\u003c\/strong\u003e specialises in quirky and entertaining explorations of history’s overlooked stories. With a sharp eye for the unusual, these books reveal the odd, the extraordinary, and the downright funny episodes that have coloured the past.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBlending humour with historical insight, the collection offers readers a captivating mix of curious facts and bizarre events. Perfect for those who enjoy history told with a playful twist and a sense of wonder.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"historys-strangest-deaths-by-riley-knight-9781761472589","title":"History's Strangest Deaths","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHistory's Strangest Deaths\u003c\/em\u003e, the debut book from Riley Knight, host of the popular podcast \u003cem\u003eHalf-Arsed History\u003c\/em\u003e, highlights the many and varied ways that people have met their end over the years, from the foolish to the absurd.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom a classical Greek playwright killed by a tortoise dropping out of the sky to an ancient Chinese duke falling into a toilet; from a Viking raider bitten by a severed head to a lawyer shooting himself to prove a legal point; from two French kings killed by door frames to two British parliamentarians who were killed by turnips—there are countless amusing, farcical, absurd, and ultimately very strange deaths from across history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHistory's Strangest Deaths\u003c\/em\u003e offers fifty of the best of them, spanning thousands of years of history to recent times. Many people are supremely unimaginative in death, embracing the tired old cliché of dying peacefully in their sleep surrounded by loved ones. \u003cem\u003eHistory's Strangest Deaths\u003c\/em\u003e has tracked down those select few who have instead made their mark in the history books by exiting this world in thrillingly unconventional ways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46834729910508,"sku":"9781761472589","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9e523307259fca936f838facd45a0e33.jpg?v=1758574674"},{"product_id":"the-most-interesting-people-youve-never-heard-of-by-riley-knight-9781761472596","title":"The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of\u003c\/em\u003e tells the tales of the overlooked names of history, the individuals who lived fascinating, absurd, or simply amusing lives but are somehow forgotten, overshadowed by those who were larger, louder or better at self-promotion. People who may not have shaped the world like famous heroes but had lives worthy of our attention all the same—from the profound to the peculiar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDiogenes the Cynic lived in an enormous ceramic jar, insulted Alexander the Great, and lived to tell the tale. Pope Benedict IX 'sold' the papacy—twice. Empress Zenobia almost conquered Rome, centuries before it finally fell. Jan Žižka never lost a battle, despite losing both his eyes. Violet Jessop survived the sinking of the \u003cem\u003eTitanic\u003c\/em\u003e, only to then be aboard the \u003cem\u003eBritannic\u003c\/em\u003e when it sank as well. Adolphe Sax had multiple near-death experiences as a kid, before growing up to invent the saxophone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of\u003c\/em\u003e tells the unsung tales of extraordinary people that will leave you captivated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'These potted biographies of history's underappreciated are three parts fascinating to one part absurd.' David Hunt, bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eGirt\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48022047588588,"sku":"9781761472596","price":31.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781761472596-the-most-interesting-people-you-ve-never-heard-of.jpg?v=1785287392"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/riley-knight.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}