Return of Heroic Failures

Heroic Failures

by Stephen Pile

All our books are used but in good condition. All books checked carefully for damage before listing.EXCELLENT value for money and ready for dispatch using Amazons fufillment service.We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, History

266 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's nothing like reading about the incompetency of others to make you feel good about yourself. The Return of Heroic Failures has dredged the newspapers of the world to create a new list of comic, dismal failures. It's good for a laugh and the raising of one's self esteem.

[Benjamin Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing book, light reading as its basically facts of peoples failures. Definitely worth a read if your find these sorts of things amusing

[Sam Agnew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Return of Heroic Failures" by Stephen Pile is a brilliant, bonkers, and utterly British collection of tales that'll have you laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all. Pile's signature wit and irreverence are in top form as he dishes out stories of catastrophes, cock-ups, and calamities that'll make you wonder how humanity survives.

From military blunders to scientific snafus, Pile's got a knack for highlighting the humor in humanity's most cringe-worthy moments. It's like a trainwreck you can't look away from – except it's actually quite enjoyable

The book's got some absolute gems, like the least successful suicide attempt (a 29-year-old woman who jumped off a skyscraper, but a strong gust of wind blew her back onto a 35th-floor ledge), the slowest marathon (a blister-prone runner who took 54 years to finish), and the least successful kamikaze pilot (a Japanese pilot who got lost, ran out of fuel, and crashed into a field. All in all, he had 15 kamikaze missions and failed all of them, living till he was 93).

I'd give it 3 stars – it's a book I'd dip into now and again rather than read from cover to cover, but it was quite amusing.

[Rakie Keig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars, because giving five stars to a book that prides itself on failure feels wrong somehow?

All the stories in here are entertaining and well-told, and short enough that they don't overstay their welcome. Some of the content feels a tad dated, but it was written 30 years ago so what can you do. Great fun if you can find a copy.

[Ella87 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny. I can recommend you to read this one.

[Jon S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another funny book from another time. Very happy to have found this second one, and shall be reading the third in the line in due time (The Ultimate Book of Heroic Failures).