The first verdict of history on leaders, thinkers, doers, artists, campaigners and eccentrics from around the world is to be found on the obituaries page of the Guardian, making it among the paper's most-read and best-loved pages. This book collects succinct and idiosyncratic accounts of the lives of more than a hundred men and women, who in different ways shaped the world in which we live. It is an enlightening, inspiring and often humorous testimony to the achievements and feelings of some remarkable people.