The book ‘Final Exit’ reached 30 years old on 2 February 2021. In updated versions it still sells modestly around the world every day.
In 1991 it reached the New York Times book list as Number One, and remained listed for 18 weeks.
It became infamous as ‘the suicide guide’ but author Derek Humphry pointed to its content as clearly being for the terminally and hopelessly ill, not the depressed.
It was translated into 12 major languages and is available in most major libraries.
“When I wrote this book in 1990 on sabbatical from the Hemlock Society, I aimed it at members of that organization.” said Humphry. “My literary agent tried to get publishers interested but none would. So I published it myself. Then an article about the book in the Wall Street Journal launched sales of 100,000 a week. I was amazed.”
Exactly how many copies of the book have sold is difficult to estimate because of translations, internet E-books, paperbacks, audio versions, and it is a much-pirated book. Humphry estimates it is around two million. Over 50 years he has published 13 books, the only other one a top seller was “Jean’s Way” (1978), the response to which inspired him to found the Hemlock Society USA (1980-2003).
“Final Exit” E-book and updated paperback are available at
