What do you think?
Rate this book
Horrible Histories #19
The Villainous Victorians
Refreshed, renewed, reloaded! Readers can discover all the foul facts about the VILLAINOUS VICTORIANS , including:
Why burglars were scared of bogies,
which poet said he ate an ape
and how a snick fadger might kiddy-nap your spangle.
Why burglars were scared of bogies,
which poet said he ate an ape
and how a snick fadger might kiddy-nap your spangle.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
27 people are currently reading
643 people want to read
About the author
Terry Deary
763 books840 followersA former actor, theatre-director and drama teacher, Deary says he began writing when he was 29. Most famously, he is one of the authors of the Horrible Histories series of books popular among children for their disgusting details, gory information and humorous pictures and among adults for getting children interested in history. Books in the series have been widely translated into other languages and imitated.
A cartoon series has been made of the series of books and was shown on CiTV for a period in 2002.
The first series of a live-action comedy sketch show of the same name was shown on CBBC in 2009 and a second series is due.
Terry is also known widely throughout children and adult reading groups alike for his True Stories series (see below for series list).
He received an Honorary Doctorate of Education from the University of Sunderland in 2000. His numerous accolades also include the Blue Peter "Best Nonfiction Author of the Century" Award in the U.K.
-Wikipedia
A cartoon series has been made of the series of books and was shown on CiTV for a period in 2002.
The first series of a live-action comedy sketch show of the same name was shown on CBBC in 2009 and a second series is due.
Terry is also known widely throughout children and adult reading groups alike for his True Stories series (see below for series list).
He received an Honorary Doctorate of Education from the University of Sunderland in 2000. His numerous accolades also include the Blue Peter "Best Nonfiction Author of the Century" Award in the U.K.
-Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
March 2, 2024
I couldn't put this book down!!! Its hilarious and has interesting information about the Victorian era. I think that this book deserves a 5 * rating.
November 30, 2019
'Villainous Victorians' lets you in on the darkest secrets of Queen Victoria's Britain - from hard-living criminal kids to harder-hearted toffs who were criminally cruel.
BREAKING NEWS!! "THE VICTORICANS ARE MORE THAN JUST VILE"
Welcome back in my previous review i spoke about how vile victoricans where, and that you was more likely to die before one by disease or your parents drowning you in the Thames as you are to expensive to keep around, and if you was an adult you would work till you die or die while waiting for a train on the underground.
But our next report is very villainous indeed, the poor are still poor and the rich are only getting richer off the poor. To survive children are forced to pick pocket the rich during public hangings, which if they wasn't careful they would be hanged NEXT. Times where hard for a child but if you wasn't careful as an adult you would be muggled by poor adults so things haven't changed there with the modern world standard. In other news queen Victoria is still in hiding since the death of her husband prince Albert but a villainous chap has come to hear her up with an idea of making her queen of India, this has apparently made the queen mom very happy but as history shows nothing good will come from taking what is not theres. And our final headline the result well from looking over my paper it seems this victorican england was both vile and villainous and one of englands truly dark times dispite all the amazing things that where invented at the time. Well what's left for this reporter to say is times have gotten better since and i am very glad that i was born when i was and reccomend this report to all time travellers " save your time read the book and don't go back to the 1800s"
4/5 Stars on GoodReads 🌟🌟🌟🌟
90/100 GingerPoints 🔥🔥🔥
BREAKING NEWS!! "THE VICTORICANS ARE MORE THAN JUST VILE"
Welcome back in my previous review i spoke about how vile victoricans where, and that you was more likely to die before one by disease or your parents drowning you in the Thames as you are to expensive to keep around, and if you was an adult you would work till you die or die while waiting for a train on the underground.
But our next report is very villainous indeed, the poor are still poor and the rich are only getting richer off the poor. To survive children are forced to pick pocket the rich during public hangings, which if they wasn't careful they would be hanged NEXT. Times where hard for a child but if you wasn't careful as an adult you would be muggled by poor adults so things haven't changed there with the modern world standard. In other news queen Victoria is still in hiding since the death of her husband prince Albert but a villainous chap has come to hear her up with an idea of making her queen of India, this has apparently made the queen mom very happy but as history shows nothing good will come from taking what is not theres. And our final headline the result well from looking over my paper it seems this victorican england was both vile and villainous and one of englands truly dark times dispite all the amazing things that where invented at the time. Well what's left for this reporter to say is times have gotten better since and i am very glad that i was born when i was and reccomend this report to all time travellers " save your time read the book and don't go back to the 1800s"
4/5 Stars on GoodReads 🌟🌟🌟🌟
90/100 GingerPoints 🔥🔥🔥
March 6, 2014
Great fun for children.
blurb - It's history with the nasty bits left in! Want to know: Why burglars were scared of bogies? Which poet said he ate an ape? How a snick fadger might kiddy-nap your spangle? Discover all the foul facts about the Villainous Victorians - all the gore and more!
blurb - It's history with the nasty bits left in! Want to know: Why burglars were scared of bogies? Which poet said he ate an ape? How a snick fadger might kiddy-nap your spangle? Discover all the foul facts about the Villainous Victorians - all the gore and more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2019
🌈 ❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 💙 💚 💛 🧡 ❤️ 🌈
March 28, 2012
Wow this book opens my eye about the true condition during Victorian era. I never know that:
1. Charles Dickens was one of the people who responsible to stop public hanging in Britain.
2. The police force in Britain was created during this time and they had a lot of nicknames such as Peelers, Blue Devils and Crushers
3. The condition during this era was horrible! People lived in starvation, slums and everything is bad and evil.
4. Queen Victoria was listed as the evil person in this book during this era. Haha
So for those Malaysians who think that we lived in horror conditions on our country during 19th century should think again because I think Britons lived 10x worse during this time in their own country. :P
1. Charles Dickens was one of the people who responsible to stop public hanging in Britain.
2. The police force in Britain was created during this time and they had a lot of nicknames such as Peelers, Blue Devils and Crushers
3. The condition during this era was horrible! People lived in starvation, slums and everything is bad and evil.
4. Queen Victoria was listed as the evil person in this book during this era. Haha
So for those Malaysians who think that we lived in horror conditions on our country during 19th century should think again because I think Britons lived 10x worse during this time in their own country. :P
October 1, 2017
I like that these books help make history accessible to younger readers. The comics help make things memorable, which is part of why I love seeing humour used in educational resources. I also like the "famous vs forgotten" parts of the book, showing people who were ironically made famous by their horrible actions but people who were forgotten for doing things well.
There are some things I'm not fond of, however. I'm not fond of including jokes about different demographics (fat jokes, for example) in educational resources for children; as a teacher, I already struggle enough with teaching my students that it's inappropriate (and beyond rude) because of lessons in the media. I hate having access to what could be a good resource that includes these things. (It does provide teachable moments, but I wish they were fewer and farther between.)
I also don't like the false stories and the "Guess Which is False" games. For short quizzes, it's fine; they do a lot of making up stories, and I've seen that confuse students entirely. For any kids who take things seriously, that's not helpful by any means; it makes the books less accessible.
There are some things I'm not fond of, however. I'm not fond of including jokes about different demographics (fat jokes, for example) in educational resources for children; as a teacher, I already struggle enough with teaching my students that it's inappropriate (and beyond rude) because of lessons in the media. I hate having access to what could be a good resource that includes these things. (It does provide teachable moments, but I wish they were fewer and farther between.)
I also don't like the false stories and the "Guess Which is False" games. For short quizzes, it's fine; they do a lot of making up stories, and I've seen that confuse students entirely. For any kids who take things seriously, that's not helpful by any means; it makes the books less accessible.
December 1, 2018
Highlights from this Horrible Histories book included some stuff on urchins and chimney sweeps and a bunch of references to famous Victorian authors, from Charles Dickens to George Elliot. Of course, it still suffered a little from the same problems that the rest of the books have, such as the fact that the quizzes force you to keep stopping and turning the book upside down to read the answers, but it is what it is.
Ultimately, you know what you’re getting with Horrible Histories, and there’s a reason why I kept on reading my way through the box set. Now that I’ve reached the end, I feel like this particular book was the perfect one for me to end on. The Victorians were fascinating, man.
Ultimately, you know what you’re getting with Horrible Histories, and there’s a reason why I kept on reading my way through the box set. Now that I’ve reached the end, I feel like this particular book was the perfect one for me to end on. The Victorians were fascinating, man.
February 15, 2013
Facts about Victorian “villains.”
This is the only book in this series that I have read (which I picked up after seeing one of the TV programmes). I found it very weak. It was badly written, badly laid out and some of the “facts” appeared to be more like opinions. The “rants” about the ‘real villains’ (rich people?) were lame. I can only assume that I’m not the target group (in terms of age, etc.).
I’m not sure about the other books in the series, but this is one to avoid.
This is the only book in this series that I have read (which I picked up after seeing one of the TV programmes). I found it very weak. It was badly written, badly laid out and some of the “facts” appeared to be more like opinions. The “rants” about the ‘real villains’ (rich people?) were lame. I can only assume that I’m not the target group (in terms of age, etc.).
I’m not sure about the other books in the series, but this is one to avoid.
May 3, 2015
I guess one just can't give anything less than a maximum vote to any of the Horrible Histories books (it was actually among the Victorian era laws to like these books, else you would be hanged for not having a sense of humor). I just figured out I haven't read a lot of HH books when I was a child as they weren't translated into my language. Catching up now. Feels like it's my birthday.
August 22, 2025
Though I'm a fan of the Horrible Histories series, I find it difficult to recommend Villainous Victorians for children.
While the book sheds light on grim realities of the Victorian period, it was disappointing to see the accounts of accidents, and cruel punishments being conveyed in a tone that leaves little room for young readers to develop sensitivity or understanding for the very real suffering of those who lived through it. Maybe blurring the line between black comedy and mockery wasn't a good idea?
The relentless use of grisly detail and crude humour risks trivialising topics that demand care: child deaths in factories, medical quackery, and public hangings are packaged as “shocking fun facts.” This risks desensitising children, making suffering into a spectacle rather than an entry point for critical reflection. Unlike some of the stronger books in the series, which balance wit with genuine insight, Villainous Victorians leans too heavily on the “gross” factor.
For parents and teachers, the concern lies in whether this approach cultivates empathy or simply entertains with cruelty.
The Victorian era offers many valuable lessons about industrialisation, class inequality, reform, and resilience, but in this book, those lessons are buried beneath a barrage of grim jokes. The humour is too coarse, and it's educational value diminished by the pursuit of shock over substance.
While the book sheds light on grim realities of the Victorian period, it was disappointing to see the accounts of accidents, and cruel punishments being conveyed in a tone that leaves little room for young readers to develop sensitivity or understanding for the very real suffering of those who lived through it. Maybe blurring the line between black comedy and mockery wasn't a good idea?
The relentless use of grisly detail and crude humour risks trivialising topics that demand care: child deaths in factories, medical quackery, and public hangings are packaged as “shocking fun facts.” This risks desensitising children, making suffering into a spectacle rather than an entry point for critical reflection. Unlike some of the stronger books in the series, which balance wit with genuine insight, Villainous Victorians leans too heavily on the “gross” factor.
For parents and teachers, the concern lies in whether this approach cultivates empathy or simply entertains with cruelty.
The Victorian era offers many valuable lessons about industrialisation, class inequality, reform, and resilience, but in this book, those lessons are buried beneath a barrage of grim jokes. The humour is too coarse, and it's educational value diminished by the pursuit of shock over substance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2021
un libro bastante interesante sobre la historia de Inglaterra, además de que me gusto mucho las secciones que muestran los bueno y lo malo de época como para enseñar que no todo fue genial para la población si no que también hubo muchas carencias para el pueblo, para mi la figura de la Reina Victoria era alguien mítico pero ahora ya es mucho más real (para bien y mal)
Además de que es perfecto para entender la época de otro libro que estaba leyendo el mismo tiempo y que ocurre en ese mismo periodo histórico, así que le da contexto. Me refiero a Chain of Iron
Además de que es perfecto para entender la época de otro libro que estaba leyendo el mismo tiempo y que ocurre en ese mismo periodo histórico, así que le da contexto. Me refiero a Chain of Iron
July 5, 2023
Interesting facts, but rather insensitive in places to some of the real, horrific experiences Victorians had.
Currently reading
September 16, 2022I am reading this book in my book project in my school. This is British book, and it’s nonfiction. It tells true story about Victorian Age in Britain. There are many villians in the Victorian Age. We can study them through this book. This book is good because it tells the history of Victorian Age in a very fun way. It contains many comics and fun stuffs. However, as all books have, this book has some bad parts. It tries to make me fun, but they are going too far sometimes. Overall, this is not comedy book so it’s not good to go so far. I want to recommend this book to someone who wants to study Victorian Age in a fun way.
September 10, 2022
Another entry on the Horrible Histories backlist ticked off and this time it’s in the dark and gruesome world of the Victorian era.
This one focused a lot more on crime and punishment in the Victorian era which seems to have been a real turning point as far as law and order are concerned. It’s well known that there was a lot of criminal activity in built up cities under Queen Victoria and it was interesting to see some of the case studies of the crimes committed, who did it and what their punishment was for it.
This one focused a lot more on crime and punishment in the Victorian era which seems to have been a real turning point as far as law and order are concerned. It’s well known that there was a lot of criminal activity in built up cities under Queen Victoria and it was interesting to see some of the case studies of the crimes committed, who did it and what their punishment was for it.
September 13, 2021
I'm thoroughly enjoying rereading these Horrible Histories books that I haven’t read in over a decade! There is plenty of information included that you might not find in more 'traditional' history books.
The cartoons are brilliant and still make me giggle even after all these years and Terry Deary's writing is still as engaging as it was all those years ago.
Even if you're an adult historian you will still enjoy reading these, whether reading them for the first time or rediscovering them!
The cartoons are brilliant and still make me giggle even after all these years and Terry Deary's writing is still as engaging as it was all those years ago.
Even if you're an adult historian you will still enjoy reading these, whether reading them for the first time or rediscovering them!
Read
November 30, 2021I never rate these books, but this one particularly wasn't a favourite for me. It should've been obvious from the title, but this one only focused on crime in the Victorian age, where all other books have taken the whole period in history. I get it, there's a lot to say, but I didn't particularly like a whole book on the same topic.
January 26, 2024
Another history comes alive book a d this one dealing with the horrible people of the Victorian era, who were usually on what was meant to be the side of justice and helping people.
A horrific time period for those who were desperate and without money.
Queen Victoria comes off in a band way here, so if you are fan of the old biddy you may be a little cranky by the closing credits!
A horrific time period for those who were desperate and without money.
Queen Victoria comes off in a band way here, so if you are fan of the old biddy you may be a little cranky by the closing credits!
July 18, 2018
this book is so creepy and I love it! I also learned lots of stuff, and the facts are awesome! It is hard for me to describe the book because the book is creepy, funny, scary, and sad, so I don't know what to say.
June 4, 2021
Same as the last one (The Vile Victorians) but just a bit more boring.
August 6, 2017
Not as interesting as the Vile Victorians, but I've got to admire Deary's commitment to educating the youth about class oppression.
September 7, 2017
Thought this book was really cute. Books like these are what really got me into history/historical fiction as a kid, so this is an awesome concept for a series!
November 20, 2018
Masterful epilogue, serves old Vic a lesson for earning 10/10 in the Victorian scale of villainy.
December 19, 2018
There is a lot of people with heads being chopped off and children going to jail
March 10, 2019
225 - 2019
April 2, 2019
A history book teaching children about the victorians. It is full of fascinating tales and fun facts that encourage children to find out about history.
May 15, 2019
There was a lot of overlap between this one and Vile Victorians - also I get the feeling the author isn't the biggest fan of Queen Victoria!
June 14, 2019
Short. Fun. Full of humorous Facts and trivia about the Victorian Era.
The Villainous Victorians was exactly what I wanted it to be
The Villainous Victorians was exactly what I wanted it to be
December 6, 2019
It was both funny and interesting at the same time as I've learnt lots of fascinating facts about the Victorians like for example Charles Dickens was against criminals being hanged in public.
Currently reading
March 10, 2020Fantastically factual, I loved it.
October 12, 2020
It's a shame I work in a Dutch school because I'd make all my students read these
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews