Reggs
Veteran XX
I got this off Amazon for less than a dollar. I finished it after two nights and it was a lot of fun. It's a guide book on how to be the Pope, and what your options, lifestyle, and duties are like. This books give a lot of insight into the civic workings of the Vatican, the religious and diplomatic duties, and the eccentricities of past popes.
The last but is my favorite. I've already forgotten their names, but one pope had a Papal thrown installed in his own elevator. Another would secretly go to the roof of a hotel in Vatican city and spend all day looking down at people in the street with binoculars. The U2 front man, Bono, gave John Paul II his sunglasses on a visit once, and the pope would wear them all the time when he would walk through his garden. There is also a fleet of popmobiles, not just one. Auto companies showered the pope with free bespoke popmobiles after JPII was shot.
The Vatican is it's own country. Has zero tax on gasoline or prescriptions. Has it's own currency, and the worlds shortest railroad. It has a 0% birth rate. the swiss guards are still trained to be experts with a sword and halberd.
All sorts of interesting stuff in this book. I have also left it around in my living room since my purchase since it;s a wonderful conversation piece.
Amazon.com: How to Be Pope: What to Do and Where to Go Once You're in the Vatican (9780811852210): Piers Marchant: Books
