York

Horrible Histories Gruesome Guides #6

by Terry Deary

Terry Deary offers a whistle-stop tour of York's foul but fascinating history including details of the deadly diseases that plagued the city, why the vicious Vikings made such an impression and the truth about the criminal characters of Turpin and Fawkes. This title comes complete with a fold-out map that shows all the horrible highlights of the city.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Humor, British Literature

Paperback

First published September 19, 2005

About the author

A 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

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

YORK + HORRIBLE HISTORIES = MAGIC!

[alannahlovesbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snuck this is in on my day trip to York to learn a but more about the history, I saw it in a shop and remembered my love for Horrible Histories books! And it did not disappoint!

[Kayleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short. I kinda forgot that I had this one

[Braňo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Horrible Histories, which I was obsessed with as a kid, for the first time in like 15 years was a very oddly peaceful and wholesome experience especially as back then I never would've guessed I would be studying in a city they'd write a Horrible Histories book about. Having lived in York for 4 years and been on multiple city and ghost tours I can safely say this book would undoubtedly serve you well as a York city guide. I only wish the book was longer but then again, it's meant to be a short guide, and also, I can imagine it quite difficult to fit York's rich history into a book.

[Tex · Rating 4 out of 5]

“York” is the fourth of the Horrible Histories Gruesome Guides series of individual towns and cities by Terry Deary. While not a long book (96pages) it’s jam packed full of this former Viking stronghold’s horrible highlights from 71AD right through to the late 1900’s.

Here you’ll find out about York’s Guy Fawkes, violent Vikings, nasty Normans, creepy Clifford’s Tower, dastardly Dick Turpin, miserable Micklegate Bar, and brutal Berden Hall.

While aimed at kids these books are fascinating reading for kids and adults alike. Informative, funny, and easy to read the reader is actually in danger of learning something whilst being entertained.

Horrible Histories Gruesome Guide to York gets 4 scary Shambles out of 5!

[Ettelwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ten překlad je fakt mizérie -_-

[Xanthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly quick read, as this was a relatively slim volume. York certainly has a lot of grim and gruesome aspects to its history.

[isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

required reading

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as some HH books, but that could be because it's so specific. Most of it I already knew, because I live in york, but I think it's only really that interesting if you live in York and have time to go check all this stuff out. It didn't tell me much more than a ghost walk really, still, I liked the map and the stuff about Guy Fawkes old school!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t think I really remembered exactly how much of an impact the Horrible Histories books had on me when I was younger, until I made the decision to read them again as an adult.

They’re still just as humorous as I remember them to be, and they don’t shy away from the gruesome sides of the histories that they are telling.

Sometimes, they can come across as a little bit simplified but you have to remember who the target audience for them is. You have to remember that these are for younger readers to get them into history and that they would have to simplify them a little bit just for that reason alone.

Doesn’t make them any less enjoyable though.

[lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi! I’ve been enjoying your story a lot your scenes are easy to imagine and very expressive. It honestly made me think about how cool it’d look in a comic format.
I’m a commission-based artist, so if that’s ever something you’d want to discuss, I’d be happy to chat.
📩 Discord & Instagram: lizziedoesitall

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received as a gift from someone who grew up in York...didn't realize this was a series. Entertaining little read about all the criminals & the ghostly legends that surround York's history since 71 AD.

[Steve Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't get enough of Horrible Histories

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history of York aimed at those who like their facts displayed in an amusing format. Includes lots of graphic cartoon drawings.

[Helen Blunden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting history and can’t wait to visit this city again. So much left unexplored from the first time we visited.

[Natalie Whiteman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It cool

[Casey Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than just a Grand Old Duke, York has a fascinating if not horrible history attached to it. So totally worth a read.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully written and illustrated (and educational, too!). Highly recommend.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun read, love the city of York and although I knew some of it, still learnt a lot of new facts

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book while visiting York to learn a little more about the town. Probably should’ve read it before I visited, but it was very informative and helped me to understand the history of the beautiful city.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite city in the world. A good book for a brief and gruesome history.

[Redfox5 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy this as much as the other Horrible History books I've been reading, some of the facts had been repeated in this one. I suppose repetition is good for kids learning history. Makes me want to vist York. Enjoyed the ghost stories. Dis rubbish on the quiz. 4/10. I am a failed student of York! :(

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horrible Histories is a series of illustrated books published in the UK by Scholastic. They are designed to get children interested in history by concentrating on the trivial, unusual, gory, or unpleasant. They are exceptionally well loved by my history loving children

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im a big fan of Horrible Histories and i love the city of York so i found that book very interesting and learn quite a few things i dint know. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about York history.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny little book :)

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and entertaining read. A very enjoyable way to learn about this topic.

[GodricC · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book, giving me information about what life was like in England during the middle ages.

[Elline Pelline]

Well, I guess I shouldn't compare this one to the more canonical literature... Ok entertainment, more for children than adults. Can't say I was flattered or anything... But a nice source of knowledge.