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I Told You I Was Sick! the Best Guide to Epitaphs
I Told You I Was Sick! is a collection of epitaphs that have actually appeared on gravestones and memorials or that are simply suggestions that people have made for an appropriate summing up of a life. The subjects range from the great and the good to the curious and the downright odd. Nigel Rees brings to bear on the strange and sometimes surprising world of the epitaph his formidable skills as an ‘archaeologist’ of the sources of quotations and phrases: each epitaph is explained and located, and its sources and context described as fully as possible. This amalgamation of two earlier books, topped up with new material (and pictures) reveals the graveyard and the family vault to be places not so much of ivy, owl-hoots and the terrors of the night ... but of curiosity, fascination – and more than a little humour.
‘Feast of deadly wit’ – Daily Express
‘Most of the old favourites are here and so are scores and scores of unfamiliar ones that it is a pleasure to encounter ... Extensive and lively notes’ – Sunday Telegraph
‘Nigel Rees gives a fascinating insight into the age-old custom ... in a meticulously researched selection’ – Birmingham Post
‘Many dazzling discoveries ... Brilliant – a scholarly, delicate and witty mix’ – Daily Mail
‘Feast of deadly wit’ – Daily Express
‘Most of the old favourites are here and so are scores and scores of unfamiliar ones that it is a pleasure to encounter ... Extensive and lively notes’ – Sunday Telegraph
‘Nigel Rees gives a fascinating insight into the age-old custom ... in a meticulously researched selection’ – Birmingham Post
‘Many dazzling discoveries ... Brilliant – a scholarly, delicate and witty mix’ – Daily Mail
- GenresNonfictionHumorHistory
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2005
3 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Nigel Rees
136 books9 followersNigel Rees is an English author and presenter, best known for devising and hosting the Radio 4 long running panel game Quote... Unquote (since 1976) and as the author of more than fifty books – reference, humour and fiction.
He went to the Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby, and then took a degree in English at New College, Oxford (where he was a Trevelyan Scholar and took a leading role in the Oxford University Broadcasting Society). He went straight into television with Granada in Manchester and made his first TV appearances on local programmes in 1967 before moving to London as a freelance. He worked for ITN’s News at Ten as a reporter before becoming involved in a wide range of programmes for BBC Radio as reporter and producer.
In 1971, he turned to presenting. He introduced the BBC World Service current affairs magazine Twenty Four Hours nearly a thousand times between 1972 and 1979. From 1973 to 1975 he was also a regular presenter of Radio 4’s arts magazine Kaleidoscope. From 1976 to 1978 he was the founder presenter of Radio 4’s newspaper review Between the Lines and, from 1984 to 1986, Stop Press.
By way of contrast he kept up the revue acting he had started at Oxford by appearing for five years in Radio 4’s topical comedy show Week Ending... and then in five series of the cult comedy The Burkiss Way. Comedy appearances have also included Harry Enfield and Chums on BBC TV.
When he was 32, in 1976, he became the youngest ever regular presenter of Radio 4’s Today programme and had two years of early mornings with Brian Redhead before leaving in May 1978 at the time of his marriage to Sue Bates, a marketing executive. The other reason was the increasing success of Quote... Unquote, his quiz anthology on Radio 4, then in its third series. By 1978 it was also time for the first Quote... Unquote book. This gave rise to a whole series under various titles and devoted to aspects of the English language and especially the humour that derives from it. One of his five graffiti collections was a No. 1 paperback bestseller in the UK.
His reference books include the Cassell’s Movie Quotations, Cassell’s Humorous Quotations, A Word In Your Shell-Like and Brewer's Famous Quotations. Since 1992, he has published and edited The Quote... Unquote Newsletter, a quarterly journal (now distributed electronically) and devoted to the origins and use of well-known quotations, phrases and sayings.
For 18 years he was a regular guest in Dictionary Corner on Channel 4's Countdown. He is a recent past President of the Johnson Society (Lichfield) and was described in The Spectator (16 December 2006) as: "Britain's most popular lexicographer – the lineal successor to Eric Partridge and, like him, he makes etymology fun."
He went to the Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby, and then took a degree in English at New College, Oxford (where he was a Trevelyan Scholar and took a leading role in the Oxford University Broadcasting Society). He went straight into television with Granada in Manchester and made his first TV appearances on local programmes in 1967 before moving to London as a freelance. He worked for ITN’s News at Ten as a reporter before becoming involved in a wide range of programmes for BBC Radio as reporter and producer.
In 1971, he turned to presenting. He introduced the BBC World Service current affairs magazine Twenty Four Hours nearly a thousand times between 1972 and 1979. From 1973 to 1975 he was also a regular presenter of Radio 4’s arts magazine Kaleidoscope. From 1976 to 1978 he was the founder presenter of Radio 4’s newspaper review Between the Lines and, from 1984 to 1986, Stop Press.
By way of contrast he kept up the revue acting he had started at Oxford by appearing for five years in Radio 4’s topical comedy show Week Ending... and then in five series of the cult comedy The Burkiss Way. Comedy appearances have also included Harry Enfield and Chums on BBC TV.
When he was 32, in 1976, he became the youngest ever regular presenter of Radio 4’s Today programme and had two years of early mornings with Brian Redhead before leaving in May 1978 at the time of his marriage to Sue Bates, a marketing executive. The other reason was the increasing success of Quote... Unquote, his quiz anthology on Radio 4, then in its third series. By 1978 it was also time for the first Quote... Unquote book. This gave rise to a whole series under various titles and devoted to aspects of the English language and especially the humour that derives from it. One of his five graffiti collections was a No. 1 paperback bestseller in the UK.
His reference books include the Cassell’s Movie Quotations, Cassell’s Humorous Quotations, A Word In Your Shell-Like and Brewer's Famous Quotations. Since 1992, he has published and edited The Quote... Unquote Newsletter, a quarterly journal (now distributed electronically) and devoted to the origins and use of well-known quotations, phrases and sayings.
For 18 years he was a regular guest in Dictionary Corner on Channel 4's Countdown. He is a recent past President of the Johnson Society (Lichfield) and was described in The Spectator (16 December 2006) as: "Britain's most popular lexicographer – the lineal successor to Eric Partridge and, like him, he makes etymology fun."
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 29, 2019
I thought it would be more humorous but very clinical and analytical instead.
December 6, 2019
While enjoyable, a lot of the epitaphs were only "supposed" no real grave could be found. I'm not sure why but I would have preferred knowing that all of the epitaphs were real and better yet, would have loved to see more pictures of them.
March 11, 2021
It's not exactly humorous but to some extent it's still funny. All together I must say it is indeed very interesting containing epitaph of famous people like Conan Doyle, Purcell, king auther and etc. It's worth a read.
August 7, 2020
Mildly amusing.
July 30, 2023
I guess different people are curious about different things. This caught my eye at the library like a candy bar at the check stand. Like the candy, I could have passed and been just fine.
September 13, 2024
Somewhat amusing/interesting book of epitaphs.
November 12, 2013
Very funny epitaphs and also some very weird and very serious ones....a good coffee table book to pick up from time to time for a quick browse, though it is a pretty small book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews