A celebration of the brave, drunken pioneers who built our civilization one seemingly bad decision at a time, A Brief History of Vice explores a side of the past that mainstream history books prefer to hide. History has never been more fun—or more intoxicating.

Guns, germs, and steel might have transformed us from hunter-gatherers into modern man, but booze, sex, trash talk, and tripping built our civilization. Cracked editor Robert Evans brings his signature dogged research and lively insight to uncover the many and magnificent ways vice has influenced history, from the prostitute-turned-empress who scored a major victory for women’s rights to the beer that helped create—and destroy—South America’s first empire. And Evans goes deeper than simply writing about ancient debauchery; he recreates some of history’s most enjoyable (and most painful) vices and includes guides so you can follow along at home.

You’ll learn how to:

• Trip like a Greek philosopher.
• Rave like your Stone Age ancestors.
• Get drunk like a Sumerian.
• Smoke a nose pipe like a pre–Columbian Native American.

“Mixing science, humor, and grossly irresponsible self-experimentation, Evans paints a vivid picture of how bad habits built the world we know and love.”—David Wong, author of John Dies at the End

Robert Evans, a nationally known consultant on school leadership, presents his seven keys for savvy leaders:   1. When You Go to See the Wizard, Take Toto         2. Theyll Never Understand  3. Change Is What It Means   4. Bite off What You Can Chew        5. Be Your Best, Bold Self     6. Nourish to Flourish 7. From Savvy to Wise: Look Out for Number One   

Robert Evans’ The Kid Stays in the Picture is universally recognized as the greatest, most outrageous, and most unforgettable show business memoir ever written. The basis of an award-winning documentary film, it remains the gold standard of Hollywood storytelling.

With black-and-white photographs from the author’s archive and a new introduction by the legendary actor, producer, and Hollywood studio chief Robert Evans, The Kid Stays in the Picture is driven by a voice as charming and irresistible as any great novel.

An extraordinary raconteur, Evans spares no one, least of all himself. Filled with starring roles for everyone from Ava Gardner to Marlon Brando to Sharon Stone, The Kid Stays in the Picture: A Notorious Life is sharp, witty, and self-aggrandizing, and self-lacerating in equal measure.

This is a must-read for fans of American cinema and classics of the canon, including The Odd Couple, Rosemary’s Baby, Love Story, The Godfather, and Chinatown.