The Rest is History: From Ancient Rome to Ronald Reagan―History's Most Curious Questions, Answered

by Goalhanger Podcasts Ltd

This entertaining companion to the massively popular history podcast tackles everything from Alexander the Great to Agatha Christie, the Wars of the Roses to Watergate--with a unique blend of wit, wisdom, and good old-fashioned banter
 
The Rest Is History podcast brilliantly distills major moments in human history, covering everything from the Trojan War to a historical ranking of the greatest dogs. Now, this official tie-in book brings the chart-topping podcast’s charms to the page, offering readers a fresh, wide-ranging tour of humanity’s essential, and essentially weird, moments,
- Did the Trojan War actually happen?
- What was the most disastrous party in history?
- Was Richard Nixon more like Caligula or Claudius?
- How did a hair appointment almost blow Churchill’s cover?
- Why did the Nazis believe they were descended from Atlantis?

Featuring an introduction from podcast hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook, this book cleverly demonstrates that the past—from modern to ancient and every time in between—is both closer to us than we might realize and bafflingly strange, all at once. So run your Egyptian milk bath, strap up your best Spartan sandals, and prepare for a journey down the highways and byways of the human past.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Audiobook

432 pages, Hardcover

Published December 5, 2023

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

When this book discusses actual history it is very good. The writing is conversational with some good humour. The topics covered are fascinating. But I did not enjoy the spoofed television shows, sports events and the like. The book tried too hard to be funny at the expense of conveying actual information. At times I wasn’t really sure what was actual history and what was an attempt at humour. I ended up skipping parts of the book. Nonetheless, this is still a worthwhile read. Thank you to Netgalley and PublicAffairs for the advance reader copy.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rest of History is based on a podcast of the same name, hosted by the authors. It is a culmination of random tidbits of history--the interesting, the odd, the wacky and the weird--coupled with humor. The chapters might skip between mostly factual paragraphs to lists to spoofs of television shows, interviews, etc.

Authors Tom Holland (no, not Spider-Man) and Dominic Sandbrook delve into some popular topics but also dig up some of history's oddest happenings. They combine facts with their very dry British humor, and at some points I laughed out loud... but other times the writing felt like it was trying too hard to be humorous or interesting--particularly in the spoofs and "world cup" brackets, both of which were rather boring and/or hard to follow, as the history is exaggerated or made up (some would consider this a veritable sin for a nonfiction) wholesale. The authors definitely have some personal opinions that they voice throughout the book (a dislike for Donald Trump and Boris Johnson being some of them) but they don't make an attempt to convert the reader to their opinions and simply state them as such.

Some of the topics were uninteresting to me because I didn't know much about them and didn't feel like I really learned anything from them (another possible nonfiction sin?) Other topics were just simply out of the realm of my attention; for example, being up-to-date with the politics of my own country is an active effort to not be ignorant, and so it's rather unsurprising that I'm not deeply knowledgeable about the history of England's prime ministers and their political stances. Other chapters, like the theories of Atlantis and the story of Roman emperor Nero, were much more my cup of tea.

This book is a real mixed bag of information, which chapters as simple as "Vikings Go East" and "Sparta" to obviously wild chapters like "Top 10 Eunuchs in History" and "Why Conspiracy Theories Go Viral." All in all, this is a widely encompassed, mostly humorous collection of quick takes on history. 3 stars.

[Tonja Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book to read as it was filled with so many random, funny, and interesting facts from history. I truly enjoyed reading it.

It read like you were listening to a show. It was informational but with funny antidotes and jokes sprinkled in. Honestly, it reminded me of how I teach my classes. If people just spout facts, the audience generally gets bored quickly. However, telling the facts in an entertaining way makes the audience want to keep listening and learning. Because that is how this book is written, it makes for a pretty quick read since it’s not just history but it’s entertainment.

I laughed at some of the pretend interviews just because I know that those people wouldn’t talk that way. I enjoyed the alternative history scenarios that could have happened. (Those are always fun to think about).

If you’re looking for a boring read that just lists names, dates, events, and facts in chronological order in a monotonous tone, this book is not for you. If you’re looking to find the fun way to learn history, you’ll enjoy this.

* Special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Lindsay S · Rating 5 out of 5]

So enjoyable. A welcomed book from the hilarious podcast of the same name. If you love obscure history and tidbits, this is for you. I’ve always found to fascinating to learn about the bizarre and mundane of the lives that came before us. Holland and Sandbook manage to dig up the dredges of history that fascinate and befuddle. I highly recommend.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

[Randal White · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read. As someone else pointed out, reminds me very much of the old Uncle John's Bathroom Readers. It's a good book to pick up when you have a minute (aka: bathroom) and just want a quick story or laugh. It's a bit disorganized, jumps from place to place with no real sense of purpose. But, like I said, it's a fun read.

[Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely fun and entertaining, you might just learn something. Important history lessons told in inventive ways that I haven't though of before like using tournament brackets or writing fake novels and using fake documents to help people learn while making it fun.

[spencer wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for the sheer volume of information presented in this book in an engaging and easy-to-read manner. This is an excellent book to pick up and read pieces of in short bursts or marathon sessions.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of the Uncle John's Bathroom Readers, I was drawn to this title. I enjoy reading fun facts and light history before bed and this book was another one to enjoy. I loved the interesting subject and light-hearted writing. If anyone is a fan of humor and history, this book is a great choice.

[Trevor Seigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful, entertaining look at some facets of world history, in snarky, bite-sized form. Like a modern-day "Book of Lists," Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook travel throughout time finding interesting tidbits along the way. Any fan of history will enjoy this book a lot.

[Kirk Tapp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the book I was hoping for. Didn't enjoy the attempts at humor. Tried to be to political, when it wasn't necessary.

[Alex Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

A tedious read. I guess that’s what you get with a book like this. A Christmas present, so had to read it

[Craigtator · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amuse-bouche of history.

[Bella · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite chapter was the white rose - so solemn and gutting that we don’t learn about this in school curriculum

[Matthew Bauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rest is History is one of my favorite podcasts, and I really enjoyed reading through the book versions of many incredible episodes. Holland and Sandbrook are great storytellers and weave so much fun into the book. I really enjoyed it.