Dead Famous cover art

Dead Famous

An Unexpected History of Celebrity from Bronze Age to Silver Screen

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Dead Famous

By: Greg Jenner
Narrated by: Greg Jenner
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

 'Fizzes with clever vignettes and juicy tidbits... [a] joyous romp of a book.' Guardian

'A fascinating, rollicking book in search of why, where and how fame strikes. Sit back and enjoy the ride.' Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads

'[An] engaging and well-researched book... Jenner brings his material to vivid life' Observer

Celebrity, with its neon glow and selfie pout, strikes us as hypermodern. But the famous and infamous have been thrilling, titillating, and outraging us for much longer than we might realise. Whether it was the scandalous Lord Byron, whose poetry sent female fans into an erotic frenzy; or the cheetah-owning, coffin-sleeping, one-legged French actress Sarah Bernhardt, who launched a violent feud with her former best friend; or Edmund Kean, the dazzling Shakespearean actor whose monstrous ego and terrible alcoholism saw him nearly murdered by his own audience - the list of stars whose careers burned bright before the Age of Television is extensive and thrillingly varied.

In this ambitious history, that spans the Bronze Age to the coming of Hollywood's Golden Age, Greg Jenner assembles a vibrant cast of over 125 actors, singers, dancers, sportspeople, freaks, demigods, ruffians, and more, in search of celebrity's historical roots. He reveals why celebrity burst into life in the early eighteenth century, how it differs to ancient ideas of fame, the techniques through which it was acquired, how it was maintained, the effect it had on public tastes, and the psychological burden stardom could place on those in the glaring limelight. DEAD FAMOUS is a surprising, funny, and fascinating exploration of both a bygone age and how we came to inhabit our modern, fame obsessed society.©2020 Greg Jenner (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group Social Sciences World Celebrity Funny Witty Thought-Provoking

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Ask a Historian cover art
Vital Organs cover art
Past Forward: A Century of Sound cover art
Great and Horrible News cover art
Mortal Monarchs cover art
A Load of Old Balls cover art
222 QI Answers to Your Quite Ingenious Questions cover art
The Drama of Celebrity cover art
Being Britney: Pieces of a Modern Icon cover art
Toksvig's Almanac 2021 cover art
Buried cover art
Conspiracy cover art
Camera Man cover art
Legendary Children cover art
The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock cover art
I Like to Watch cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
Dead Famous is a perfectly balanced reflection on celebrity through the ages. Greg Jenner expertly shows that, when you strip away the social and technological infrastructure, the true essence of celebrity has not changed dramatically since the 18th century. The book’s delicate humour never detracts from the intellect of Jenner’s arguments, even when the reader is confronted with the darker sides of celebrity culture. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested enough to have read this review!

Perfectly Balanced

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Witty, engaging and informative. 'Dead Famous' is rare in the world of the audiobook as it is complemented by being read by its author. I listened to it in two sittings digging the garden while self-isolating, which I guess if nothing else makes it a turf turner. Excellent.

'What a bunch of stunts' Greg Jenner

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I've not listened to the authors podcasts but I've enjoyed two of his books now and they do feel like a long podcast episode and I mean this as a positive. the book engaged me all the way through and I binged listened to it.

funny and educational

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What a great book which I binge listened to over two days. Full of fascinating characters that I would love to read more about, a fall down the rabbit hole of celebrity.

Thanks to Greg Jenner for the clear reading, although it was hard not to shout 'nuance window' every time the word nuance was uttered.

Great book. Thanks.

An Very Interesting Read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I listen to a lot of audio books whilst I work. This grabbed my attention and made the hours fly past. I honestly feel I have been introduced to a plethora of fascinating characters. I love the style of good cheer and humour that welcomes the listener. Jenner has always been fantastically entertaining in his podcasts, making history accessible and seductive. I had high expectations and the book exceeded these. This book obviously synthesises an incredible breadth of research and he uses a concise chapter structure to lead the listener through a complex theory in manageable chunks. It is open ended with lots of strands to pursue. Hard to listen to without wanting to Google these celebrities to see just what they looked like. Thoroughly recommend it.

Fascinating and informative

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Highly recommend this book. Some amazing tales and it's all told very well. Accessible history.

Funny and fascinating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I would highly recommend this book! The way Jenner portrays these past celebrities is clear and distinct and it is so interesting to hear their stories.

Such an interesting topic!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Wasn't really sure what to expect but love listening to Greg Jenner on podcasts so thought I would give this a go. I found it really interesting and the little asides from Greg made me laugh. A great listen, would recommend!

LOVED IT

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I think of reflection I would better enjoyed this book having read a physical copy, rather than audiobook. There was nothing wrong with Greg Jenner's narration, but there was so much information and nuance densely packed, that reading it directly would have allowed me to absorb at my own pace. The book is however delightful. Incredible amount of research and detail which was delivered with Greg Jenner's fantastic wit and sensitivity.

Incredible nuance and research

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A fascinating look through history from the angle of celebrity. I love how it darts about through the ages and covers people I know and some that I don't.

Greg's delivery, as always, is witty and easy to follow. He has a wonderful gift of being able to translate great chunks of information in an entertaining way both written and spoken.

Interesting and witty in equal measure

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews