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Spies, Sadists and Sorcerers
Spies, Sadists and Sorcerers unveils the history you were never taught at school. With a breath-taking sweep spanning Rome to the modern day, popular historian and author Dominic Selwood challenges the traditional version of some of the best-known events of the past.
From ancient Christianity to the voyages of Columbus, and from the medieval Crusades to ISIS and the modern Middle East, this book debunks dozens of historical myths.
You will learn that:
– Magna Carta was an infamous failure in medieval times
– Richard the Lionheart was a cruel and dreadful king
– The Knights Templar were heretical, and have left a genuinely baffling mystery
– The painter of the Turin Shroud was found in the 1300s
– Christopher Columbus never saw America
– The first computer coder was a woman, a century before Alan Turing
– The man who unleashed mustard gas in the World War One trenches won the Nobel Prize for chemistry
– One incredible Spanish spy saved D-Day
... and lots more. This book will challenge everything you think you know about history!
From ancient Christianity to the voyages of Columbus, and from the medieval Crusades to ISIS and the modern Middle East, this book debunks dozens of historical myths.
You will learn that:
– Magna Carta was an infamous failure in medieval times
– Richard the Lionheart was a cruel and dreadful king
– The Knights Templar were heretical, and have left a genuinely baffling mystery
– The painter of the Turin Shroud was found in the 1300s
– Christopher Columbus never saw America
– The first computer coder was a woman, a century before Alan Turing
– The man who unleashed mustard gas in the World War One trenches won the Nobel Prize for chemistry
– One incredible Spanish spy saved D-Day
... and lots more. This book will challenge everything you think you know about history!
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 12, 2015
169 people are currently reading
542 people want to read
About the author
Dominic Selwood
11 books78 followersDominic Selwood is a bestselling author, journalist and historian.
His latest bestselling book, Punctuation Without Tears, is out now. 'A powerful little book: sure-footed, simple, feisty, funny, and profoundly helpful' ***** (The Independent)
Dominic is the author of the international #1 bestseller The Sword of Moses, 'a rollercoaster crypto-thriller, a ride that thrills and educates’ (Daily Express), voted one of the top five religious thrillers of all time (BestThrillers.com). The sequel The Apocalypse Fire was described as ‘the best of James Bond and the Da Vinci Code rolled into one’ (Soldier Magazine).
He is also the author of two history books: the international #1 bestselling Spies, Sadists and Sorcerers: The History You Weren’t Taught at School and Knights Of The Cloister.
His writing guide Punctuation Without Tears: Punctuate Confidently – In Minutes! has been described as ‘simple, feisty, funny and profoundly helpful’ (The Independent) and is being used widely in schools in the UK and USA. He has also written two short ghost stories The Voivod and Suffer The Children.
He writes on history for the Daily Telegraph and other newspapers and magazines, and regularly appears on TV and radio discussing history. He lives in London.
His latest bestselling book, Punctuation Without Tears, is out now. 'A powerful little book: sure-footed, simple, feisty, funny, and profoundly helpful' ***** (The Independent)
Dominic is the author of the international #1 bestseller The Sword of Moses, 'a rollercoaster crypto-thriller, a ride that thrills and educates’ (Daily Express), voted one of the top five religious thrillers of all time (BestThrillers.com). The sequel The Apocalypse Fire was described as ‘the best of James Bond and the Da Vinci Code rolled into one’ (Soldier Magazine).
He is also the author of two history books: the international #1 bestselling Spies, Sadists and Sorcerers: The History You Weren’t Taught at School and Knights Of The Cloister.
His writing guide Punctuation Without Tears: Punctuate Confidently – In Minutes! has been described as ‘simple, feisty, funny and profoundly helpful’ (The Independent) and is being used widely in schools in the UK and USA. He has also written two short ghost stories The Voivod and Suffer The Children.
He writes on history for the Daily Telegraph and other newspapers and magazines, and regularly appears on TV and radio discussing history. He lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 28, 2016
I usually like books that debunk the great history myths, but I was disappointed by Selwood's book for several reasons. First, I did learn most of what he covered in school; the facts of history and the movie version may have gotten a bit jumbled in my mind, but I do remember learning that the Romans were a brutal people, Richard the Lionheart was a crappy king, Henry VIII broke with Rome because the Pope wouldn't grant him a divorce, and Columbus never made it to the future United States. I'm sure some people didn't learn any of these things and that many more have entirely forgotten them, but most of his topics are pretty well known.
I also have to point out that some of the things he says are a little dodgy: in Chapter 8 he describes Henry II as "cruel and venal" and then in Chapter 12 says that after coming to the throne after a 20 year civil war "Henry II healed the country's wounds with dedication and skill." He lists syphilis as one of the diseases brought to the Americas by the Europeans, but there is pretty conclusive evidence that it was there long before Columbus showed up; he attributes the phrase "war is hell" to Donald Rumsfeld when it is generally attributed to the American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman; and he gives the impression that the indigenous peoples of the Americas were all kind and peace-loving--certainly many tribes weren't bellicose and most of them didn't practice human sacrifice (and even the ones that were and did didn't deserve to be victims of genocide), but Selwood shouldn't be perpetuating myths in a book that's claiming to debunk them.
So, while I appreciate that Selwood taught me about Noor Inayat Khan and presented actual facts in the case of Lord Elgin and the Parthenon, I cannot recommend this book.
Received via LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.
I also have to point out that some of the things he says are a little dodgy: in Chapter 8 he describes Henry II as "cruel and venal" and then in Chapter 12 says that after coming to the throne after a 20 year civil war "Henry II healed the country's wounds with dedication and skill." He lists syphilis as one of the diseases brought to the Americas by the Europeans, but there is pretty conclusive evidence that it was there long before Columbus showed up; he attributes the phrase "war is hell" to Donald Rumsfeld when it is generally attributed to the American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman; and he gives the impression that the indigenous peoples of the Americas were all kind and peace-loving--certainly many tribes weren't bellicose and most of them didn't practice human sacrifice (and even the ones that were and did didn't deserve to be victims of genocide), but Selwood shouldn't be perpetuating myths in a book that's claiming to debunk them.
So, while I appreciate that Selwood taught me about Noor Inayat Khan and presented actual facts in the case of Lord Elgin and the Parthenon, I cannot recommend this book.
Received via LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.
December 8, 2018
British author, Derek Selwood, has generated an easy to read book that gives the reader a different view of history . In fact it might be fair to suggest that the history we have been taught in school is not the real history that went down. Remember that History is always written by the winner.
Starting off in Roman times we have Josephus Flavius who wrote the Jewish Wars and ANtiquities of the Jews. He started out as a Jewish noble and aided in the fight against Rome . He was the only survivor. He ended up becoming a Roman citizen collecting a pension. He conveniently switched sides.
The author examines another Biblical era story the one o0f Moses receiving the Ten Commandments. There is not a shred of proof that it even happened or that the Israelites traversed the desert escaping from Egypt. His analysis is mostly speculative as he suggests that the 10- commandments were not written in Hebrew But rather in Egyptian hieroglyphics. This is all speculation.
He takes a stab at British History by revealing some real juicy details. You might be shocked to learn that when Henry the 8th broke away from Rome to found the Church of England , the people were not for it, rather they were devout Catholics. Cromwell and his henchman at the behest of Henry the 8th stormed thorugh country destroying works of art, looting Catholic Churches and monasteries and demolishing statues. Lots of people were killed. Prior to his break with Rome Henry the 8th was a devout Catholic.
I was not really shocked to learn that the British Royal family was of German descent. Something they were not proud of during the World Wars. Churchill made a big mistake at Gallipoli it costs him his job at the time. Inyat Noor Khan, an Indian Muslim naturalized to a British citizen died helping the British spy against the Nazis. She was super dedicated. There was a gentleman from Spain who ran a fake spy ring in Britain. His false information deceived the Nazis and helped the allies with winning the war.
Christopher Columbus has been in the news lately. They’re removing his statues and why not ? He was no hero, he did not discover America. He only made it to Hispaniola. The first person to discover America was Leif Ericsson . Columbus was brutal . He enslaved the Native Americans his fellow Europeans killed the Native Americans in the most brutal fashion just for the fun of it. The European arrival meant genocide for the Native Americans. The white settlers were as racist as Hitler. Their goal was the annihilation of the Native Americans. Politician documents prove this out.
Often it seems that things are not what they seem. We of the Western Nations are not always thee good guy . America the land of the free was won on the oppression and genocide of Native Americans and yes it was genocide . Everything from/ broken treaties, disease infected blanket and that fire water (Booze). During the WWII the Americans and allies proved themselves to be just as genocidal as Hitler. Want to challenge your world view then open this book and get ready to have your eyes opened .
Starting off in Roman times we have Josephus Flavius who wrote the Jewish Wars and ANtiquities of the Jews. He started out as a Jewish noble and aided in the fight against Rome . He was the only survivor. He ended up becoming a Roman citizen collecting a pension. He conveniently switched sides.
The author examines another Biblical era story the one o0f Moses receiving the Ten Commandments. There is not a shred of proof that it even happened or that the Israelites traversed the desert escaping from Egypt. His analysis is mostly speculative as he suggests that the 10- commandments were not written in Hebrew But rather in Egyptian hieroglyphics. This is all speculation.
He takes a stab at British History by revealing some real juicy details. You might be shocked to learn that when Henry the 8th broke away from Rome to found the Church of England , the people were not for it, rather they were devout Catholics. Cromwell and his henchman at the behest of Henry the 8th stormed thorugh country destroying works of art, looting Catholic Churches and monasteries and demolishing statues. Lots of people were killed. Prior to his break with Rome Henry the 8th was a devout Catholic.
I was not really shocked to learn that the British Royal family was of German descent. Something they were not proud of during the World Wars. Churchill made a big mistake at Gallipoli it costs him his job at the time. Inyat Noor Khan, an Indian Muslim naturalized to a British citizen died helping the British spy against the Nazis. She was super dedicated. There was a gentleman from Spain who ran a fake spy ring in Britain. His false information deceived the Nazis and helped the allies with winning the war.
Christopher Columbus has been in the news lately. They’re removing his statues and why not ? He was no hero, he did not discover America. He only made it to Hispaniola. The first person to discover America was Leif Ericsson . Columbus was brutal . He enslaved the Native Americans his fellow Europeans killed the Native Americans in the most brutal fashion just for the fun of it. The European arrival meant genocide for the Native Americans. The white settlers were as racist as Hitler. Their goal was the annihilation of the Native Americans. Politician documents prove this out.
Often it seems that things are not what they seem. We of the Western Nations are not always thee good guy . America the land of the free was won on the oppression and genocide of Native Americans and yes it was genocide . Everything from/ broken treaties, disease infected blanket and that fire water (Booze). During the WWII the Americans and allies proved themselves to be just as genocidal as Hitler. Want to challenge your world view then open this book and get ready to have your eyes opened .
August 4, 2016
It is often said that history is written by the victors. But the "victors" in this context are not just the winners of wars and battles. They are also those who hold sway over public opinion or who manage to influence how history is taught from one generation to the next. As Dominic Selwood points out in his introduction to his book, the bare facts of history are rarely disputed - it is the spin which is given to these facts which is often debatable. And once a particular "interpretation" becomes standard, a certain intellectual laziness sets in, and prejudices about the past become entrenched.
In this book, an anthology of articles which originally appeared in The Daily Telegraph and the Spectator, Selwood gleefully pulls apart mainstream interpretations of history. The thirty-seven chapters span two millennia, from the Roman destruction of Jerusalem to the modern world, with a particular emphasis on the Medieval world (Selwood's main area of expertise). His is a declared revisionist agenda. Given the current renewed interest medievalism, I suspect (or, rather, hope) that few will dispute his observation that the Dark Ages were not so dark after all or that the English Reformation was a bloody, politically driven affair which obliterated most of England's rich Catholic cultural heritage. His doubts about the morality of the fire-bombing of Dresden will doubtless strike a chord with many readers, as will his denunciation of the injustice suffered by the Knights Templar. On the other hand, fresh from the Magna Carta anniversary celebrations, his articles claiming that this hallowed document was, ultimately, no big deal, will likely lead to much shaking of heads. His spirited defence of Lord Elgin is also unfashionable. But Selwood is at his best and most entertaining when he is at his most controversial.
Besides being a historian, journalist and solicitor, Selwood was also written fiction, including a historical thriller. He certainly knows how to tell a good story. The pieces included in this anthology are tightly argued and underpinned by a thorough knowledge of the subject; yet, they are also enlivened by a strong narrative drive and an underlying sense of humour.
Not all articles are polemical in nature. There are, for instance, chapters about England's adoption of the Gregorian calendar and proto-computer programmer Ada Lovelace and two particularly hair-raising pieces about two World War II spies "Agent Garbo" and Noor Inayat Khan.
My quibble about this book is that there has been no attempt to edit the articles prior to their publication in book form. As a result, there is overlapping between some of the chapters, there are frequent references to contemporary events and recent anniversaries (with the risk that they might eventually start sounding "dated") and there are no references, bibliography or index as one would find in a conventional history book. But, then again, this is no "conventional history book". And it is this which ultimately makes it so readable.
This is a review of an ebook edition kindly provided by the publishers.
In this book, an anthology of articles which originally appeared in The Daily Telegraph and the Spectator, Selwood gleefully pulls apart mainstream interpretations of history. The thirty-seven chapters span two millennia, from the Roman destruction of Jerusalem to the modern world, with a particular emphasis on the Medieval world (Selwood's main area of expertise). His is a declared revisionist agenda. Given the current renewed interest medievalism, I suspect (or, rather, hope) that few will dispute his observation that the Dark Ages were not so dark after all or that the English Reformation was a bloody, politically driven affair which obliterated most of England's rich Catholic cultural heritage. His doubts about the morality of the fire-bombing of Dresden will doubtless strike a chord with many readers, as will his denunciation of the injustice suffered by the Knights Templar. On the other hand, fresh from the Magna Carta anniversary celebrations, his articles claiming that this hallowed document was, ultimately, no big deal, will likely lead to much shaking of heads. His spirited defence of Lord Elgin is also unfashionable. But Selwood is at his best and most entertaining when he is at his most controversial.
Besides being a historian, journalist and solicitor, Selwood was also written fiction, including a historical thriller. He certainly knows how to tell a good story. The pieces included in this anthology are tightly argued and underpinned by a thorough knowledge of the subject; yet, they are also enlivened by a strong narrative drive and an underlying sense of humour.
Not all articles are polemical in nature. There are, for instance, chapters about England's adoption of the Gregorian calendar and proto-computer programmer Ada Lovelace and two particularly hair-raising pieces about two World War II spies "Agent Garbo" and Noor Inayat Khan.
My quibble about this book is that there has been no attempt to edit the articles prior to their publication in book form. As a result, there is overlapping between some of the chapters, there are frequent references to contemporary events and recent anniversaries (with the risk that they might eventually start sounding "dated") and there are no references, bibliography or index as one would find in a conventional history book. But, then again, this is no "conventional history book". And it is this which ultimately makes it so readable.
This is a review of an ebook edition kindly provided by the publishers.
March 14, 2017
Great
Enjoyable way to revisit British history and learn new facts. Writing is funny and intelligent. Looking forward to another book
Enjoyable way to revisit British history and learn new facts. Writing is funny and intelligent. Looking forward to another book
October 23, 2016
Interesting collection of esoteric history that the author wrote for the Daily Telegraph...and you can tell it was written for a newspaper. There are some really cool articles in here, but the nature of the writing and the necessary brevity of the "stories" makes it all seem a little shallow. I am glad I read this ebook, but it was more of a party platter of "bet you didn't know this" history than I would have liked. Most are self-contained articles of the kind you will commonly find online. There is no astounding scholarship, just an enjoyable read.
February 1, 2017
Surprise
One revelation after another. Makes a lot of sense! Good read. Very interesting how the proof is presented. I enjoyed the whole book.
One revelation after another. Makes a lot of sense! Good read. Very interesting how the proof is presented. I enjoyed the whole book.
March 2, 2018
Enjoyable short history bites and easy to read. I was familiar with many of the stories but it certainly added some detail I was unaware of.
November 10, 2018
Short pieces from Author newspaper column regarding history, mainly of UK.
Most interesting, some not and few are repeating ones on the same topic different time written, slightly different angle. Still readable and easy digestible one story at a time.
Most interesting, some not and few are repeating ones on the same topic different time written, slightly different angle. Still readable and easy digestible one story at a time.
April 1, 2019
I enjoyed the book initially but over time I found the author a little too overbearing with some of his opinions on some of the topics that he covered.
June 29, 2021
I really enjoyed this - short articles about fascinating aspects of history. I kept finding myself saying (to anyone who would listen) "Did you know ...?"
December 21, 2017
This is an informative, intriguing and fascinating read as long as the individual subjects that are being written about interest you. This was the only issue I had and it was all on me and not the fault of the book; I found myself either skimming through or completely ignoring chapters that were of no interest to me.
For the chapters that I did read, it's obvious that the author has a deep understanding of the subject he is writing about and for this, I really enjoyed the book.
A mixed bag, but definitely worth a read, if like me (well certain parts of it) history interests you.
For the chapters that I did read, it's obvious that the author has a deep understanding of the subject he is writing about and for this, I really enjoyed the book.
A mixed bag, but definitely worth a read, if like me (well certain parts of it) history interests you.
November 12, 2016
Mind boggling correction of school history with extras. Recommended.
April 15, 2016
**Full disclosure: I received this book in exchange for an honest review**
A collection of articles originally written for The Daily Telegraph mainly focusing on the more obscure or misunderstood pieces of history that we should be learning in school but sadly rarely do.
Each chapter is a different article covering a different piece of history with just enough detail for you to gain interest and new knowledge but short enough that at no time does the pace get bogged down. The tone of the book is engaging and easy to read and the way the chapters are written this is also a perfect book if you are looking for something you can read a little bit at a time and put down here and there without loose track of what you have already read.
As for the history itself, the topics were very interesting and while I did already know quite a few of them the author made new connections and put things in a new context that I had not considered before and I love it when that happens. And there were enough that were new to me that I was thrilled to read about them and I have added several books to my to be read list to delve more deeply into the topics.
If you are a serious or casual fan of history there should be plenty in this book to appeal to you. I am very glad I got a chance to read this book.
A collection of articles originally written for The Daily Telegraph mainly focusing on the more obscure or misunderstood pieces of history that we should be learning in school but sadly rarely do.
Each chapter is a different article covering a different piece of history with just enough detail for you to gain interest and new knowledge but short enough that at no time does the pace get bogged down. The tone of the book is engaging and easy to read and the way the chapters are written this is also a perfect book if you are looking for something you can read a little bit at a time and put down here and there without loose track of what you have already read.
As for the history itself, the topics were very interesting and while I did already know quite a few of them the author made new connections and put things in a new context that I had not considered before and I love it when that happens. And there were enough that were new to me that I was thrilled to read about them and I have added several books to my to be read list to delve more deeply into the topics.
If you are a serious or casual fan of history there should be plenty in this book to appeal to you. I am very glad I got a chance to read this book.
February 13, 2016
This is a collection of articles written and published at the times of various historical annivarsaries and current events that have connections to historical persons and events. They tell the story behind the events and people you may have heard about, "myth busting" in many cases. It's true that history is written by the winners which often glosses over the points that are less than flattering to the "winners". Thus, we hear the real story, all the warts sometimes, and sometimes all the fascinating detail and unknown stories behind the stories. Some of the highlights include the story of a woman who worked behind Nazi lines in Paris as a radio operator, a Spanish spy that fooled the Nazis, the brutality of the Tudors, not just Queen Mary, who used the executioner to force the new Protestantism on their people. Why did new Protestants now believe in witches to the point of persecuting them and how did two women get put in jail for violating the Witchcraft Act in World War II? It's all fascinating stuff and if you like history, you'll enjoy this book.
April 4, 2016
Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating.
This book is a collection of articles which Selwood published in The Telegraph and The Spectator over the last few years. It aims to set us right on some historic events which we think we know about but perhaps don't. It's not really iconoclastic - most historians and students of the relevant periods of history will know most of what Selwood has written - but, for the majority of us, there are some eye-openers.
He puts historic events, all the way from Roman times through to the present day, into context. For example, Thomas Cromwell as the Islamic State of his day. And Lord Elgin, of Marbles fame, as the Indiana Jones of his?
I found the two articles on the Magna Carta and the comparison of Richard The Lionheart and Saladin the most engaging but there's a broad range of, mostly, UK history covered. There's enough meat in each article to provide a starting point for those who want to dig deeper.
Highly recommended.
This book is a collection of articles which Selwood published in The Telegraph and The Spectator over the last few years. It aims to set us right on some historic events which we think we know about but perhaps don't. It's not really iconoclastic - most historians and students of the relevant periods of history will know most of what Selwood has written - but, for the majority of us, there are some eye-openers.
He puts historic events, all the way from Roman times through to the present day, into context. For example, Thomas Cromwell as the Islamic State of his day. And Lord Elgin, of Marbles fame, as the Indiana Jones of his?
I found the two articles on the Magna Carta and the comparison of Richard The Lionheart and Saladin the most engaging but there's a broad range of, mostly, UK history covered. There's enough meat in each article to provide a starting point for those who want to dig deeper.
Highly recommended.
January 11, 2017
1.5 stars. A large number of the essays in this book were about stories of British history that just didn't interest me--that's not the fault of the book but I did a lot of skimming of those. The other essays about things I had more familiarity with didn't really have anything new to say. I was looking for some indepth analysis, something to make me say "Wow! I can't believe I never heard that before!" There was none of that. These were very short, lightweight essays that had previously appeared in newspapers. The best one was the only story I was unfamiliar with, about Noor Inayat Kahn, a woman who operated as a radio operator in France during WWII.
I can't recommend this book at all.
I can't recommend this book at all.
July 15, 2016
An ok read in popular history, but greatly over-plays its myth-busting pretensions. Recognisably the collection of quality newspaper columns it is rather than a book written from end to end.. Repeatedly claims in breathless prose to be "telling you the history you didn't learn at school" and then give a completely standard account of what happened in some event. I don't know what they teach in English schools of course. I also found the shameless pro-Catholic stance a bit irritating - never passes a moment to have a dig at Protestants past and present - the author has a chip on his shoulder he could do well to have surgically removed.
January 11, 2017
Eye opening insights into the British history we don't know.
Half of my family line has it's origins on the British Isles. One of my paternal great grand fathers, despite being born in Hong Kong, was an avid genealogist in constant pursuit of his English heritage. This seems to have led me to an inordinate interest in British history. I found this book to be filled with a delightful collection of interesting articles about British history that change the way that I view the land of my ancestors.
Half of my family line has it's origins on the British Isles. One of my paternal great grand fathers, despite being born in Hong Kong, was an avid genealogist in constant pursuit of his English heritage. This seems to have led me to an inordinate interest in British history. I found this book to be filled with a delightful collection of interesting articles about British history that change the way that I view the land of my ancestors.
August 25, 2018
Like a vandal gleefully turning over headstones in a cemetery, Selwood goes about knocking down everything we learned about history in high school. History is written by the victors, but modern day revisionists are intent on re-writing history to suit their own political views. Although there were some interesting facts in this book, I found it irritating and annoying. Not a book I would recommend.
February 17, 2020
I understand that the contents of this book are actually little newspaper columns... But I still wished and hoped they would have been fleshed out more for this format. As a result, though, of keeping them as-is, you got more germs of ideas, teases of concepts, and just enough to chew on for an appetizer. So it felt strangely both unfulfilling as a book and interminable. But I was super pleased at some of the topics. I mean, anything that mentions Noor Inaya Khan will make me happy.
October 17, 2016
Very Good
This was history at its most exciting. The author writes well, if somewhat sensationally. I wish I were a better historian. At one point, he got history/myth wrong, when he had Moses pulled from bulrushes by Phaeroh's wife l, rather than daughter. I am not familiar enough with his other accounts. Whatever. The book was fun.
This was history at its most exciting. The author writes well, if somewhat sensationally. I wish I were a better historian. At one point, he got history/myth wrong, when he had Moses pulled from bulrushes by Phaeroh's wife l, rather than daughter. I am not familiar enough with his other accounts. Whatever. The book was fun.
November 15, 2016
I had fun
I was a history major in college and I have remained a history wonk ever since, so I enjoyed reading this book although I can't say it had a great deal to teach me. It is a collection of articles that the author has written for publication over the years and not a new work.
I was a history major in college and I have remained a history wonk ever since, so I enjoyed reading this book although I can't say it had a great deal to teach me. It is a collection of articles that the author has written for publication over the years and not a new work.
November 8, 2016
There was a lot of fascinating facts presented in the book. However,many of them were presented in such a way that they were boring. They were were written like a textbook at times which seems to have defeated its purpose.
November 13, 2016
This was mostly interesting. A few of the entries were a bit dull, but overall I liked it. It's really geared towards Brits and what they weren't taught in school, but those interested in world history would enjoy it.
January 5, 2017
I found the essays within enlightening though for the most part they were about British history. The author brings in facts based on research and debunks many parts of history. A good read if you enjoy history.
April 19, 2016
Eye-opening history in each essay, but NOT something I'd recommend reading all at once!
October 9, 2016
Small Bites
Of enjoyable history bits. The essays are short, making it easy to pick up, read a little, and come back for more later.
Of enjoyable history bits. The essays are short, making it easy to pick up, read a little, and come back for more later.
October 11, 2016
I found some of the stories fascinating, although a lot of it I was aware of, so I ended up flicking through. I enjoy the style of writing though, it reads quite nicely.
February 15, 2017
NOT what it was touted to be.
October 11, 2017
No new knowledge gained from reading this book, I'm sorry to say...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews