The Pessimist's Guide to History    by Doris Flexner & Stuart Berg Flexner Order:  USA  Can HarperCollins, 2008 (2008) Softcover Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Alex Telander Optimists have ruled the world in popularity since the first one made a comment about the beautiful weather, leaving the pessimists behind, ignored, and looked down upon; but now that's all going to change with the freshly updated Pessimist's Guide to History. For every happy comment, witty repartee, and overly-positive statement, pessimists will now have the fodder to fight back, with this handy reference manual. The book begins with the most catastrophic event in the history of the universe: the big bang which started all life and everything as we know it. Then a few entries are dedicated to mass extinctions, destructive meteors, volcanic eruptions, and massive climactic changes. With the advent of humanity beginning its slow but thorough conquest of the planet, authors Doris and Stuart Berg Flexner don't hold back in presenting every horrible, destructive, plague-ridden event throughout history. The entries vary in length from short quick events: '217 B.C.: One Hundred Cities Destroyed by Killer Quake. A deadly quake rocked much of North Africa in 217 B.C., demolishing one hundred cities and killing more than fifty thousand people'; to longer entries spanning a couple of pages as more setting, detail, and information is needed about specific horrific events like: '1812: Moscow Burns,' and '1888-1891: Jack the Ripper Terrorizes Whitechapel,' and '1902: Mount Pelée's Deadly Eruption.' The first third of the book covers the beginning of the universe up to the end of the nineteenth century. The rest is dedicated to the last hundred and seven years, bringing the book up to the present with the many terrible events of the last century. Whether you want to read cover to cover, or simply flip through and pick out particular dates and times or specific events, The Pessimist's Guide to History has all the horrible and detailed answers you crave. At the end of the book is an extensive index of events, categorized by type. With The Pessimist's Guide to History at hand, the adamant pessimist will never again be without a horrific comeback. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews