Mortimer's A to Zs of English History

by Ian Mortimer

From the bestselling author of the Time Traveller's Guides
In these sparkling A to Zs, time-travelling historian Ian Mortimer visits four classic periods of English history: the fourteenth century, the Elizabethan age, the Restoration and the Regency.
As he ranges from the Great Plague to the Great Freeze, from Armada to Austen, and from tobacco to toenails, he shines a light into corners of history we never knew were so fascinating -- or so revealing of the whole.
How did the button change life in the Middle Ages? If you found yourself at a smart Elizabethan party, should you kiss your hostess on the lips? Why were pistols safer than swords in a duel? And how come Regency Londoners quaffed so much port?
This is Mortimer at his accessible and witty best. As ever, his aim is not only to bring the past to life but also to illuminate our own times.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook

320 pages, Hardcover

Published October 21, 2025

About the author

AKA James Forrester.

Dr Ian Mortimer is a historian and novelist, best known for his Time Traveller's Guides series. He has BA, MA, PhD and DLitt degrees from the University of Exeter and UCL. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and was awarded the Alexander Prize by the Royal Historical Society in 2004. Home is the small Dartmoor town of Moretonhampstead, which he occasioanlly introduces in his books. His most recet book, 'Medieval Horizons' looks at how life changed between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries.

He also writes in other genres: his fourth novel 'The Outcasts of Time' won the 2018 Winston Graham Prize for historical fiction. His earlier trilogy of novels set in the 1560s were published under his middle names, James Forrester. In 2017 he wrote 'Why Running Matters' - a memoir of running in the year he turned fifty.

At present he is concentrating on writing history books that have experimental perspectives on the past. One example is a study of England as it would have appeared to the people living in his house over the last thousand years. This is provisionally entitled 'The History of England through the Windows of an Ordinary House'. It is due for completion in December 2024 and publication in 2026.

Reviews

[Jacey]

Mortimer takes four distinct periods of English history: Middle Ages (14th C), Elizebethan, Restoration, and Regency. For each one he goes through a quickfire A to Z, from the Armada to Xenophobia via Cleanliness and Toilet paper. There's no great depth here, and no great deeds of monarchs, but each point is succinct and interesting and could easily lead you on to delve deeper. It covers much of the ground that his Time Travellers' Guides do, but the audiobook is in a very digestible form, read by the author himself. I don't read much non-fiction from cover to cover (usually dipping in and out for research etc.) but this is worth taking time for.

[Dsweet]

Was great until he tried to dismiss the guardians article on how Britain's elite families and aristocracy have maintained their wealth and land ownership since the Norman Conquest of 1066. I didn’t understand his motive behind this and why it was even relevant, seemed neither here nor there. He brought up something similar with regard to the English monarchs shortly afterwards, although that time I’m guessing he’s a monarchist and is trying to defend it somewhat perhaps? Shame as these more personal statements distract from an otherwise tight book.

[Brodie]

I listened to this in Audiobook format, which is my absolute favourite way to enjoy a historical non-fiction book. There is something fantastic about hearing a historian tell you about history. The bonus thing with Mortimer’s book is that his A to Z format was originally made for lecture halls so I soaked every moment up. This is quite fast paced so perfectly suited to a quick listen on the commute or whilst making dinner. I particularly enjoyed the Middle Ages chapters as I think those small details really do help you to understand what it was like for regular people.

[Heather C Gibbs]

5 stars ⭐ Listened to on Audible 🎧

Really enjoyed listening to this book. As always Ian Mortimers books cover such detail, in this case four classic periods of English History: the Medieval age, the Elizabethan age, the Restoration and the Regency age.

His books are always filled with a wealth of interesting historical information which is accessible and witty. Would definitely recommend.

[Sare]

Loved this book, one of my favourite authors!

[Neil]

Genuinely fun and interesting. Not by any stretch of the imagination an academic tome but one that opens ‘personal’ history of ordinary people and really moles one think. Impressive

[Kel]

I would recommend listening to this author's books. He brings history to life. Will listen to more of his books.

[Joanne Austin-Olsen]

Absolutely fascinating and very entertaining.

[Emily]

This was very interesting but I didn’t enjoy the format as much as I thought I would especially the final A-Z of historical reflections

[Asto]

购于Gatwick的纸质书，读完也是在飞机上，6.5～7分。

神一阵鬼一阵的写法。好看的片段充斥着英国人特有的幽默，不好看的片段充斥着保守亲皇派的男子气息。四个时代角度和拆成AtoZ的写法有点意思，但几乎每个部分的Your Ancestors都好像…仿佛随时都在鬼打墙。为了看系统性的历史故事不推荐，为了看点历史冷知识当作消遣还行。

[Kirsty-Elise Noonan]

I've been wanting to read some of Ian Mortimer's books for a while, and this felt like a good way to get a taste of his work before diving into his Time Traveller's Guides series.

I listened to the audiobook on Audible, which is narrated by the author, and I'm so glad I did! You can hear how invested he is in the subject, and the A-Z format comes across really well as audio - it feels like you're being guided through each time period by someone who knows them inside out - because he does!

The book is split into four periods - the Middle Ages, the Elizabethan Age, the Restoration, and the Regency - with each getting its own A-Z, before a final envoi where the author shares thoughts and reflections in another A-Z. Medieval history is very much my comfort zone, so I assumed that I would be most impressed by that, but I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the later periods too. Looking at several periods in one book makes it so much easier to explore beyond your usual historical comfort zone, so I appreciate that too.

What I liked most is how the author didn't just stick to well-known, big events for the A-Zs. Instead, he looked at everyday things like buttons, smoking, and kissing, alongside bigger things like religion and adultery. Doing it this way teaches you far more about social change, status, and the values of a certain period than a simple timeline of big events ever could.

Not only that, but there's humour sprinkled throughout too, which makes it is much more fun to read. We're not the only generations with a sense of humour, and the author is very good at reminding us of that too.

I flew through the audiobook for this just because I enjoyed it so much, but the format and structure makes it perfect for dipping in and out of too, so you can enjoy it at your own pace.

I think this is a great introduction to Ian's work, and I've already got one of his Time Traveller's Guides ready to go next.