What do you think?
Rate this book
A History of The World in Ten Wars: The funny new global history from the Sunday Times bestseller
Not yet published
Expected 8 Oct 26What can we learn from ten wars that have changed world history? A ridiculously funny new popular history from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of A History of Britain in Ten Enemies.
what is it good for? Absolutely something, surely, or we wouldn't keep doing it.
What can we learn from ten wars that have changed world history?
In A History of the World in Ten Wars, you will find
why the ancient Greeks finally decided to band together after fighting each other for centurieshow the Chinese invention of stirrups kicked off a European age of chivalrythe innovative guerrilla tactics of the Mongols, who were surprisingly interested in supply chainshow Napoleon's army was defeated not by the freezing Russian winter, but by a summer heatwaveand why the so-called World Wars were really one very long war with a break for half-time.Throughout the ages, each generation has faced the same questions. Am I willing to fight for my way of life? How can I come up with something the enemy hasn’t thought of? And the important one that people often forget to is there a way of solving this amicably?
A History of the World in Ten Wars is a witty, whistlestop history of the world that will have you laughing as you find out what they didn't teach you in school.
---------
PRAISE FOR A HISTORY OF BRITAIN IN TEN
'If you could take just one history book to a desert island, this would be it. It is laugh out loud funny' Conn Iggulden, bestselling author of the Emperor series
'Ram-packed with mind-blowing facts, hilarious characters, and little-known tales' Dan Schreiber, author of The Theory of Everything Else
‘Packed with dinner-party-worthy anecdotes, the kind that will delight history buffs and newcomers alike’ Alice Loxton, The Telegraph
'Playful, cheeky, and very clever, this is a book for anyone who ever wished there was a Horrible Histories for grown-ups' Kate Lister, author of A Curious History of Sex
‘Told with characteristic wit and verve…not just an eye-opener, but a mind-opener’ Tracy Borman, author of The Private Lives of the Tudors
* A History of Britain in Ten Enemies was a Number 1 Sunday Times bestseller in May 2025.
what is it good for? Absolutely something, surely, or we wouldn't keep doing it.
What can we learn from ten wars that have changed world history?
In A History of the World in Ten Wars, you will find
why the ancient Greeks finally decided to band together after fighting each other for centurieshow the Chinese invention of stirrups kicked off a European age of chivalrythe innovative guerrilla tactics of the Mongols, who were surprisingly interested in supply chainshow Napoleon's army was defeated not by the freezing Russian winter, but by a summer heatwaveand why the so-called World Wars were really one very long war with a break for half-time.Throughout the ages, each generation has faced the same questions. Am I willing to fight for my way of life? How can I come up with something the enemy hasn’t thought of? And the important one that people often forget to is there a way of solving this amicably?
A History of the World in Ten Wars is a witty, whistlestop history of the world that will have you laughing as you find out what they didn't teach you in school.
---------
PRAISE FOR A HISTORY OF BRITAIN IN TEN
'If you could take just one history book to a desert island, this would be it. It is laugh out loud funny' Conn Iggulden, bestselling author of the Emperor series
'Ram-packed with mind-blowing facts, hilarious characters, and little-known tales' Dan Schreiber, author of The Theory of Everything Else
‘Packed with dinner-party-worthy anecdotes, the kind that will delight history buffs and newcomers alike’ Alice Loxton, The Telegraph
'Playful, cheeky, and very clever, this is a book for anyone who ever wished there was a Horrible Histories for grown-ups' Kate Lister, author of A Curious History of Sex
‘Told with characteristic wit and verve…not just an eye-opener, but a mind-opener’ Tracy Borman, author of The Private Lives of the Tudors
* A History of Britain in Ten Enemies was a Number 1 Sunday Times bestseller in May 2025.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 8, 2026
About the author
Terry Deary
766 books872 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 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A vaguely entertaining look at history through a selection of wars and the different leaps in technology - both military and not - that came about as a result of these wars. It is also a brutal look at the way in which people have tried to kill each other from the earliest days in our history. In the end it is a grim warning as to what will happen should we continue on our present course.
It tries to be funny, it makes pointed comments about the current state of the world. Sometimes it hits, sometimes it misses.
My main issue with this book is many of the facts are just plain wrong. They are wrong for the sake of speed - ie: the author says Richard II is Edward III son. He wasn't, he was his grandson but saying that would mean explaining why he inherited over his uncles, Edwards remaining sons.
In that respect it reminds me of the horrible histories which pulled the same trick in order to teach kids history simply. I can sort of forgive that but this is meant to be an adults history book. Credit your readers with some intelligence and explain it properly, even if that does add some lines. (As you should do to children's books.)
This is also a very Western centric book. The majority of the wars are based in Europe and the few that aren't, are looked at from a Western view. The Mongol invasions do briefly mention the Great Wall and the conquering of China but the focus is on what the Mongol's tried to do in Europe.
~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review~
It tries to be funny, it makes pointed comments about the current state of the world. Sometimes it hits, sometimes it misses.
My main issue with this book is many of the facts are just plain wrong. They are wrong for the sake of speed - ie: the author says Richard II is Edward III son. He wasn't, he was his grandson but saying that would mean explaining why he inherited over his uncles, Edwards remaining sons.
In that respect it reminds me of the horrible histories which pulled the same trick in order to teach kids history simply. I can sort of forgive that but this is meant to be an adults history book. Credit your readers with some intelligence and explain it properly, even if that does add some lines. (As you should do to children's books.)
This is also a very Western centric book. The majority of the wars are based in Europe and the few that aren't, are looked at from a Western view. The Mongol invasions do briefly mention the Great Wall and the conquering of China but the focus is on what the Mongol's tried to do in Europe.
~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review~
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review
A History of the World in Ten Wars is essentially Horrible Histories for grown ups, as Terry Deary takes the reader through ten conflicts that have shaped history and uses them to explore the wider causes, consequences and realities of war.
Terry Deary has always had a knack for making history accessible for everyone, and that’s very much the case here. It’s an interesting and engaging read that mixes the more mainstream and obvious historical events with some lesser-known stories and conflicts, so there was plenty here that I hadn’t come across before. The familiar Horrible Histories style is still present, making what could be a fairly heavy subject easy and entertaining to read without losing sight of the history itself.
An enjoyable piece of popular history that should appeal particularly to anyone who grew up with Horrible Histories, but also to readers who simply like their history accessible, engaging and a little irreverent.
A History of the World in Ten Wars is essentially Horrible Histories for grown ups, as Terry Deary takes the reader through ten conflicts that have shaped history and uses them to explore the wider causes, consequences and realities of war.
Terry Deary has always had a knack for making history accessible for everyone, and that’s very much the case here. It’s an interesting and engaging read that mixes the more mainstream and obvious historical events with some lesser-known stories and conflicts, so there was plenty here that I hadn’t come across before. The familiar Horrible Histories style is still present, making what could be a fairly heavy subject easy and entertaining to read without losing sight of the history itself.
An enjoyable piece of popular history that should appeal particularly to anyone who grew up with Horrible Histories, but also to readers who simply like their history accessible, engaging and a little irreverent.
August 2, 2026
Growing up I adored Horrible Histories, both on tv and in book form, so when Terry Deary started to published historical books targeted at adults I was incredibly excited - even more so when NetGalley gave me the chance to read the newest addition: “A History of The World in Ten Wars”.
There’s something about Deary’s writing style that I find really engaging. Humour and education are combined perfectly, with a narrative that flows between each section and chapter, bringing the accounts to life.
I’ve already started recommending this title to friends and family members, and would very much recommend it to anyone who, like me, grew up completely obsessed with Horrible Histories.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!
There’s something about Deary’s writing style that I find really engaging. Humour and education are combined perfectly, with a narrative that flows between each section and chapter, bringing the accounts to life.
I’ve already started recommending this title to friends and family members, and would very much recommend it to anyone who, like me, grew up completely obsessed with Horrible Histories.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Review of advanced copy from Netgalley.
As a kid (and still occasionally now) I obsessively read the Horrible Histories books. Terry Deary has a way of making even the dryest history light and humorous. So when I saw The History of the World in Ten Wars I knew I had to read it.
I found the book so easy to read (not something I often say about non-fiction), funny, and succinct given the range of times/ events covered. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys pop-history, and particularly recommend the story about Timothy in the Crimean War.
Thanks again to Random House UK, Transworld and Netgalley for this ARC.
As a kid (and still occasionally now) I obsessively read the Horrible Histories books. Terry Deary has a way of making even the dryest history light and humorous. So when I saw The History of the World in Ten Wars I knew I had to read it.
I found the book so easy to read (not something I often say about non-fiction), funny, and succinct given the range of times/ events covered. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys pop-history, and particularly recommend the story about Timothy in the Crimean War.
Thanks again to Random House UK, Transworld and Netgalley for this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This will definitely interest those who are into the history of wars.
Some of the early ones did not fascinate me as much as the later ones, in part because I like reading about things I know already, but where I can learn more about them such as the impact the introduction of stirrups had on battles, and also because there were others with no British involvement. I am thinking particularly of the first three chapters.
Be warned though, there’s quite a lot of poetry scattered throughout out the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really like Terry Deary's non-fiction writing and this was no exception. I liked how this covered such a wide history of time and looked at the points on the global map. I finished this feeling like i learnt something . I'm excited to see more in this series as it feels like a way to enjoy the Horrible Histories but everything is packaged and aimed at an adult audience. Another excellent non-fiction novel by Terry Deary.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews