This A-to-Z compendium presents the last recorded words of more than 1,500 individuals across history, from ancient kings to modern outlaws. A person’s last words carry intrinsic and enduring fascination, especially if the individual in question is widely remembered or historically significant. Whether profound or pedestrian, these final statements can sum up an entire life—or even prophecy the future. This unique reference volume collects 1,664 quotations representing the last words of some of history’s most famous, fascinating, and influential personalities. They include kings and queens, statesmen and scientists, poets, saints, criminals, and many others. Dictionary of Last Words is a treasure trove of deathbed pronouncements, last letters, and true gallows humor.