"A truly unique, compelling and strangely life-affirming work of literary investigation. The perfect book to get you through the night. " -- Jerry Stahl, author of Permanent Midnight "Dark, grisly, and completely fascinating. I almost felt guilty for so thoroughly enjoying this look at history's most tormented souls." -- A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year Of Living Biblically "Strauss brilliantly exposes the devilry in the details and makes the profoundly moving, self-inflicted end-days of the greats a fascinating read." -- Michael Largo, author of Genuis and Heroin "A truly unique, compelling and strangely life-affirming work of literary investigation. The perfect book to get you through the night. " -- Rona Jaffe, author of The Room-Mating Season, among others