It seems that hardly a day goes by without another political Banana Skin and that's merely ministers falling from grace. From pop stars to princesses, from money men to movie moguls, from footballers to film stars, from soldiers to scientists, all of them have a habit of crashing to earth, whether through a stupid slip, a gigantic gaffe, a momentary misjudgement or a massive misunderstanding - much to the delight of the media. The slippery slope of human error can be delightfully amusing. It can also lead to disaster and destruction. Hilarity meets heartbreak in 'Banana Skins', a multi-faceted must-read for boffins, browsers and bluffers.

This unique anthology charts the downfall (and often just as rapid climb back) of over 200 characters from the past or present, as different as Marie Antoinette and Paris Hilton, Jeffrey Archer and Attila the Hun, Boris Becker and Tony Blair, Guy Fawkes and Gazza. Some you'll feel sorry for. Many you won't.

"Donough O'Brien has chronicled his stories of falls from grace with style and sensitivity. He strikes notes of humour, balance and even sympathy which were missing from the media reporting of these sagas in their heyday, but he pulls no punches."
Jonathan Aitken

Full of fascinating new nuggets and hidden secrets, 'Banana Skins' rounds up the most stupendous slips of all time - the colourful cast who fell from fame or fortune, popularity or public position, and from the moral high ground to the depths of embarrassment - sometimes bringing companies and even whole countries down with them, and more often than not, giving the rest of us a good laugh.

The world loves a banana skin (the Germans even have a word for it Schadenfreude), and here's the juiciest bunch ever as Donough O'Brien reveals the cock-ups of the cocky in all their unfortunate detail.

Watch your step!