1314 and All That

by Scoular Anderson

All too often, books on Scottish history ignore the central questions about our past. All this and much, much more is tackled in 1314 and All That , an irreverent and entertaining take on Scotland's history for all ages. With Scoular Anderson's inimitable drawings and lively text, this is the kind of book which makes you wonder why history was ever boring.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Scotland

172 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Scoular Anderson was born in 1946 and brought up in Argyll. He studied at Glasgow School of Art, then worked in London as a illustrator.

Reviews

[David]

Surprisingly accurate, with a humorous touch and some very good illustrations.

[Ally]

Pretty quick read and a cute book. Simplified overview of Scottish history with clever comics and diagrams. If you don't know a lot about Scotland it's a good way to learn about the more major events that you might want to then delve into deeper elsewhere.

[Doris Raines]

I LIKE THIS BOOK.

[Kimothy]

I have always had an interest in British history, including an interest in Scotland's history. This book was very good at explaining the good and bad events of this country, and it also helped me to understand how various events (in particular the loss of Scottish parliament in 1707) helped to shape Britain to what it is today.

Usually, when reading a history book the text is too long and too informative for me to take in. But with these books, the history is written in bite sized chunks, and with a humourful flair. They also make learning FUN. The illustrations and captions are also witty, funny and bare resemblance to the people they're based on.

Despite the series being aimed at children/teens, I nevertheless found this book to be well written and enjoyable. I'll be looking out for others in the series.

[Lorna]

4 stars for the following reasons
* star 1: it makes complicated history readable
* star 2: it's about Scotland
* star 3: it's packed full of facts
* star 4: it's pretty funny
I probably need to read it again a few more times to feel that I know Scotland's history more confidently, but it's a good start! Will definitely be useful for school.

[Jeanne]

This is like the Horrible Histories, which we enjoy around here. I liked it!