The Book of Extraordinary Deaths

July 16, 2018
Graphic designer Ruiz (The Book of Memory Gaps) pairs short, macabre tales with minimalist illustrations in this offbeat gift book. Beginning with the death of Draco, an Athenian lawmaker who suffocated underneath a pile of cloaks given to him as gifts in the seventh century BCE, Ruiz depicts unlikely demises due to accident, self-infliction, or just plain moronic activity, such as that of Adolf Frederick, the king of Sweden, who died of indigestion in 1771 after feasting on an epic meal that concluded with 14 servings of bread buns in hot milk. There are more than a few eerie tales: the entire Congolese soccer team perished in a lightning strike during a match in 1998 (somehow the opposing team survived), and Sonny Graham received a heart transplant from a suicide victim and then killed himself a decade later. Ruiz’s illustrations include deadpan depictions of the scene of each death. Aeschylus, the ancient Greek playwright who died when an eagle dropped a tortoise on his head, is shown sitting wistfully on a rock in the mountains with the falling tortoise subtly visible high above. Ruiz’s sinister selections and quirky technique add up to delightfully morbid foray into history. Color illus.