Historical Heartthrobs: 50 Timeless Crushes—From Cleopatra to Camus by Kelly Murphy with Hallie Fryd

This book compiles photos and life stories of 50 of the sexiest men and women from history and asks the essential question: Would you really want to date them? Some are artists, some are scientists, and many are political or military leaders, but all have had a lasting impact on human life—and a sizable impact on their admirers as well. Each entry describes the period in which the heartthrob lived and includes essential stats, hilarious sidebars, and, of course, a “crushability” ranking: a measurement of how crush-worthy these people really are, based on their relative levels of heroism (or villainy). (from Goodreads)

Flo's Reviews
Our friends at Zest Books always have some interesting and unique books on offer. I wanted to check this one out because -- hello? -- great coffee table selection! This was a fun read for a lazy Saturday afternoon on the couch. I learned about some neat people who I didn't really know, and enjoyed seeing the ones I did know who made the list. Some of them I looked at and thought, "Yeah, he's not bad" or "She is pretty." Others I thought, "What?!" But the authors talk about this in the Introduction. Hotness can be quite subjective, so what I think is hot, you may not think is hot. (I don't understand how...my tastes are amazing! (Lol! J/K!))

Regardless of my initial reactions to them, I appreciate the diversity of time periods, cultures and men vs women in the book. It was meant to be a pretty inclusive list, and I feel that it succeeds in that endeavor. I liked this quote from Plutarch about Cleopatra:

"Her actual beauty in itself was not so remarkable that none could be compared with her, or that no one could see her without being struck by it, but the contact of her presence...was irresistible.... The character that attended all she said or did, was something bewitching." 

I take that to mean she was pretty, yes, but it wasn't that she was physical perfection. It was more that she OWNED who she was was, and that's what made her a Historical Heartthrob. I can raise my glass to that! If that's all it takes, then look for me in Historical Heartthrobs, Second Edition -- release date TBD.