Cool Dead People

A humorous and inspiring collection that celebrates little-known people who led remarkable lives.

You won't find them in history books. They're people you've probably never heard of, but they made the world a more interesting place while they were in it. Here is just a sampling of the colorful obituaries you'll find in Cool Dead People:

* Insurance agent and Montana conservationist Art Aylesworth, best known as the "Bluebird Man" for his work with the mountain and western bluebirds, who built and gave away more than 35,000 bluebird nest boxes. His efforts saved these two birds from extinction.

* Mel Fisher, who spent years diving for sunken treasure, only to hit paydirt at the age of 62: Off Key West he uncovered a $400 million cache of silver bars, gold, emerald, diamonds, and pearls which had been lost on a Spanish ship in 1622.

* The literary agent, Connie Clausen, who began her career as an elephant rider in the circus.

From the doctor who healed a town to a typewriter repairman to the stars...from the countess who traded her title for a waitress tray, to the cleaning lady who left $150,000 to a local college, this whimsical and moving collection has the last word on over 100 people who could be, well, any one of us.

Jane O'Boyle is a former publishing executive and the author of Catnip for the Soul; Wrong!; and Free Drinks for Ladies with Nuts (the latter two are available from Plume). She lives in South Carolina.