Headpress Books Established 1991

The Eccentropedia

The Most Unusual People Who Have Ever Lived

An A–Z containing 266 true stories of the most original and outrageous people on earth — from terrible poets to transsexual evolutionary theorists.

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The Eccentropedia is the first comprehensive guide to eccentrics around the world, from the ancient Athenian philosopher Diogenes, who challenged his society’s conventions by living in a barrel, to the most original and free-spirited individuals of today. In 266 lively entries, famous eccentrics like King Ludwig of Bavaria, Salvador Dalí and Howard Hughes rub shoulders with a host of lesser known but equally colourful characters, some of whose stories are told here for the first time.

“I want to be a living work of art,” declared the Marchesa Luisa Casati, who was famous for walking through the streets of Venice at night, wearing nothing but a fur coat, accompanied by two cheetahs on gold leashes.

Eccentrics may be dreamers, crackpots, visionaries, poets, scientists, hermits, misers, builders or artists, or they may fit into no conventional category whatsoever. They can be outrageous, inspiring, sometimes infuriating, but they are never, ever dull. And if they have anything in common, it’s the belief that they’re the sensible ones, and it’s the rest of us who are out of step.

Contains over fifty beautiful line art portraits by artist Glenn Smith.

Robert LeemingFlux
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“Authoritative ... There is an engaging human story to be found on virtually every page.”
Mark ReeveORB Editions
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“Keep the weird weird, with this magnificent testament to the infinite ingenuity and unquenchable untamableness of the human mind.”
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Chris Mikul

CHRIS MIKUL is a Sydney-based writer and publisher of the long-running zine Bizarrism, which is devoted to all manner of real-life strangeness.

Glenn Smith

GLENN “GLENNO” SMITH is an art mercenary, paying the rent in Sydney with his wonderful wife Gina and the beginnings of an army of vengeful cats. He spends most of his time drawing wizards for doom bands and spikey lettering for bands that don’t care if the text is legible or not. He teaches illustration, plays in a band called Chinese Burns Unit and can be found in a sitting position at his desk most hours of the day. Glenno is also making inroads into the dysfunctional world of fine art, curating and exhibiting in a vain hope to seem legit and adult… not to mention gathering cult-sized numbers of followers via Instagram. Consider his refreshing Kool-Aid at #glennoart.

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