The History of Mankind in Its Entirety (Abridged): From the Comedian Behind the Hit Podcast, Fin vs History

by Fin Taylor

This radical reappraisal of human history will change the way you look at the past. In this expansive yet abridged volume, academic pariah and pseudo-historian Fin Taylor re-writes the human story, from the Big Bang to the Second Plane (minus all the stuff we can skip in between).

Reader, you are looking at the entire story of humanity, abridged and edited by myself - Fin Taylor, Historian.

Interest in history is at an all time high, but in the midst of this gold rush my fellow academics have lost sight of why. What is it about the past that sets pulses racing? Is it really the “structural homophobia of Victorian Architecture?” Or is it the sadistic exploits of a madman with medals strapped to his chest? Is 1066 even important? Or is it, in fact, mere inspiration for the Francosphere’s largest tea towel?

From Henry VIII to Hitler via Cromwell, Caligula and Colonel Gaddafi, this new thesis is a radical reappraisal of the human story, featuring only the exciting bits like naval battles or war crimes. Because what is history if not entertainment for middle-aged men looking to escape the drudgery of their own domesticity?

Ground-breaking and entirely unsupervised, The History of Mankind in Its Entirety (Abridged) will teach you everything you need to know about the good old days – minus the boring stuff.

Fin Taylor 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Humor, Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published September 10, 2026

Reviews

[Alex Beale]

A vital study in phrenology

[Noah]

The most important book since the Bible

[Emily Hird]

I am glad to finally be categorised as enjoying basement girl history. It’s nice to be seen.
I hope this becomes the next history curriculum as soon as possible. Otherwise I will have no choice but to home school my future children with the use of this book.
This is how history should be written. I recommend to everyone. You will learn the most important parts in history and your life will never been the same again.

[James]

The next Ian Kershaw

[Josh Clarke]

Is this book based upon fact? We can’t know

[Tom]

Strong start, dips a bit then extremely strong end. If you’ve seen the podcast you’ll find some repetition of their highlights. He jokes about wanting to talk about Hitler and WWII throughout but you can actually tell, when you get there, how much he wanted to talk about it.

Overall would recommend.

[Daniel]

As the Japanese fight on it becomes clear that act 3 can only end with the biggest explosion yet

One that’s bigger than the blitz, bigger than Hamburg bigger than eveerything at stalingrad. The final curtain

The only way to end the biggest 3 act play the world has ever seen. One fucking massive bomb. And then another just to make sure

[Josh Taylor]

This. Is. CRICKET.

[Eddie Bullock]

History is written by the winners but re-written by the insufferable. Like Tom Milburn

[Hugh Wright]

Funny stuff, two stars. Good clean fun. I think I prefer the podcast format. The more dynamic, free-flowing style of comedy in collaboration with others is in my opinion more entertaining. Written as a sort of character acting piece was novel. A lot of the material covered very familiar ground. If it’s your cup of tea and it’s your first exposure I think you’ll find it funny. If you’ve listened quite a bit then you might find it a bit rehashed. Even though it’s not my favourite, it was still fun and hope makes lots of money.

[Adam]

He's a racist and a scholar.

[Ben Cowan]

Decentering the Phallotimeline: An Auditory Exhale for Subterranean Kin.

Content warning: imperial font sizes, interrogated chrononormativity, visceral archival tension, radical archival silence.

Dropping this review here because the mainstream algorithmic response to this book has been predictably dense, commercial, and flat. My nesting partner sent me a voice memo about this three weeks ago, insisting it wasn't what it looked like on the surface. They were entirely right. Before anyone else dismisses it, please recognise that in what is ultimately a deeply disruptive, genre-resistant work.

Taylor completely dismantles the traditional, patriarchal timeline, opting instead for a non-linear, deeply instinctive historicism. Shey refuses to center the usual imperialist narratives, prioritizing the unrecorded domestic intimacies that actually built the world, delivering a vital exercise in counter-hegemonic storytelling that reads more like oral tradition than dry archival consensus. Operating well outside the stuffy confines of cis-hetero-hegemonic academic institutions, this is history compiled from the margins by someone allergic to textbook orthodoxies—finally, a scholar who understands that traditional historiography is entirely compromised by male administrative ego!

Rather than remaining trapped inside the calcified silos of standard academia, Taylor (shey/they) deploys a rigorous, multi-disciplinary praxis. What makes this text feel like such an exhale for non-heteronormative and post-capitalist kinship circles is their relentless dedication to the spaces between the battles. Rather than lingering on the predictable vanity projects of self-important kings, shey turns their lens toward ancient agrarian collectives, the quiet resilience of unpartnered caretakers, and the clandestine herbal lore passed down through generations. They unearth the fiercely loyal, interdependent mutual-aid pods that mainstream historians have spent centuries deliberately mislabelling, validating what our communities have instinctively known all along.

This felt particularly resonant given my own relationship to the material world. As an ascetic existing primarily in the subterranean calm of our converted basement—maintaining strict energetic boundaries away from the noisy physical dating market, while keeping my bandwidth reserved for my online polycule—I long ago abandoned the oppressive, ocular-centric demands of standard literacy. I didn’t "read" this text in the conventional bourgeois sense; instead, I let Taylor’s radical sonic cadence wash over me via screen-reader, absorbing its somatic resonance in the quiet dark.

Ultimately, Taylor has pulled off the ultimate subversion: using the combined weight of science, history, and psychology to dress an urgent, post-cranial queer epistemology in what casual readers might mistake for standard popular non-fiction. It is an earthy, deeply relational reclamation of our shared past—one that belongs on every bedside table right next to your dog-eared Sarah Waters paperbacks.

[Terence Donovan]

One of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time. The lack of seriousness taken to some of the deadliest events in human history should be made clear for fear of someone not getting how Taylor has borrowed his character from his podcast and made it into literary tribute to how grown men find history as their escape.

The chapters are selected brilliantly from ranking 20th century dictators with details discussion and two unforgettable sections covering Austria’s contribution to history.


One slight complaint would be how few sections of the book were not previously covered by The Fin v History podcast which left some chapters feeling like existing material being expanded upon or simply repacked into an additional product.

All in all, this makes for a great casual read or even audio book for those with clear views on how history ought to be enjoyed rather than having all the fun bits replaced by more fringe research.

[Rich Urban-Marks]

A famous man associated with Fin Taylor once said: "One book is another book." At least, I think he was talking about books. That being said, this book is a bit good.

Any fans of the FvH podcast, will no doubt pick up some of the oft quoted and fan favourite theories and highlights. You may have to prepare your prostates for the latter third of the book, but it is well worth the effort.

10/10, no notes, but then I am a thick, basement dwelling dumb dumb.

[Stephen Mulchrone]

Funny take on a proper historical essay. Even though it's a comedy book the structure is clearly pulled from a history degree and he actually puts forward a (relatively) good arguement for his histiography. Wasn't sure what to expect but I enjoyed

[Alfred Taylor]

It's fine. A lot of Finn's musings are less absurd when not filtered through the improv arena of a podcast, and can come across as somewhat edgy. But at this point you expect that, and it is a laugh, but while a lot more neatly packaged than the pod, it is a lot less silly.

[Joe White]

A “Sardinian maggot infested cheese” of a history book. Unappetising for many, but an undeniable delicacy for a select few that will stand the test of time.

[Emily Robertson]

3.5 stars

[Nathan Trout]

This is the book Eric Hobsbawm wishes he’d written.

[Gus Thomas]

Seminal. Ground zero for the academic disciplines of history and phrenology.

[Matthew Bentley]

3/5.

[Hamish Colley]

Needs the to and fro of a podcast to be funny. Just edgy for edgy’s sake in written form sadly

[Corey]

What a mess.

[Grant Pfundstein]

4.25 stars

[James Ramsay]

'Technology may make life easier but it makes stories harder. Convenience, the enemy of drama.'

[Enya]

I’m too thick to read. I’m a woman, obviously.

The Paralympic edition of this book (the audio version) is outstanding. Five stars.

[James Barker]

Absolutely in his element with the Austrian section, gimme a full book of that

[Harry]

Hilarious - read it.

[Sam Lewis]

Book funny... Learned lots of new words but not enough pictures

[Theo North]

Funniest book I’ve ever read