The Mysteries of History: Unravelling the Truth from the Myths of Our Past

by Graeme Donald

As Napoleon himself once said, 'History is a version of past events that people have decided to agree upon'. Noted down in historical documents, copied and widely repeated, it doesn't take long for a version of the truth to become accepted as fact. But who invents these false accounts in the first place, and why do they gain traction so quickly?
Far from concerning the obscure and insignificant parts of our history, these fundamental inaccuracies and downright lies colour the depiction of many of those pivotal characters and events we learnt about at school. Cleopatra, Marco Polo, Captain Cook, Joan of Arc; most of us could probably reel off a fact or two about each. But as this intriguing book reveals, a closer examination of these core parts of our social and political history shows that often all was not as it seemed, and that the agendas of those responsible for recording these events had a huge impact on what was reported and what was covered up.
The Mysteries of History is an entertaining romp through the centuries, uncovering the great mysteries surrounding some of the most inaccurate and misleading parts of our past.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 19, 2018

Reviews

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good book, certainly filled with some very interesting details and facts about things I thought I knew but now realise I didn’t. On the negative, it felt at times both like the author had an agenda concerning some of the chosen subjects, and was struggling to find interesting subjects by the end of the book. A few chapters felt a little like padding.
All that being said, it was certainly an interesting read and the good chapters far outweighed the ‘meh’ ones.
A reminder that often history is created, not organically made. We interpret facts to suit ourselves.

[Mandi Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read dispelling done popular myths of major historical events

[Audrey Approved]

Each chapter covers a different famous historical figure or event. There's no introduction or common thread between stories; they're just slammed together in what feels very encyclopedia-esque. Facts, dates and names are dumped on the reader right away, with no analysis and frequently, no context either. The tone is unemotional, cold and boring.

Ultimately I'd rather read an entire 250 page book about one of these chapters than 10 pages of name, date and location dumping. DNF

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read and very interesting. It opened my eyes to a few things.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say, I just wanted a silly little book. Some of these were actually really interesting too (particularly re the materials that were used to build the pyramids), so it was worth the read!

[Elizabeth Grofsky R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to read.

[Sharron Joy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here we have the truth about infamous people, did they exist or not, the true stories of the voyages of discovery, to famous plots, murders and events, the riddles of ancient legends and monuments.

This is a well researched and very accessible guide to the myths and mysteries of the past. There is also an underlying humour that makes this so much fun!

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It dispels many myths from ancient and more modern history, from Stonehenge to Cleopatra to Joan of Arc to the Dreyfuss affair and pointed out that many of the myths were fabricated to fulfill some political aim at the time.

Makes one realize that what we know of history, many times supported by "trusted" sources including textbooks and media and etc. is often just spin for a political faction. So who can we trust?

[Sarah-Malvina Lebeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall good and enlightening. My only complaint is that sometimes the auteur does not seem to be impartial and it’s hard to see past his judgments.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty fun book to read. Covers various historical events and people like the Mutiny on the Bounty and Joan of Arc. You can also learn about history you never heard of. I did have some difficulty understanding some of the stuff in various chapters, mostly in histories I have no knowledge of and I felt some of the chapters closer to the end of the book weren't too interesting but I kept reading. Some might even interest you to look it up more. When reading about Tokyo Rose for instance, I ended up looking up this person and found out more about her and the injustice that happened to her after the war.

Overall, I am really happy with this book. I would read a chapter or two a day and look forward to the next one each time. I paid $12 for this and as a person who is starting to read again (I would say beginning to read more seriously and for fun instead of just required high school/college reading), this book was pretty informal and fun.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an informative and interesting read. There were equal parts history I had heard of and history that was new to me, which kept me turning page after page to see what I would learn next. These types of history books are thought-provoking, but I also find myself questioning the accuracy and truths. It seems to me at times that if something so historically profound were to come to light, it would be bigger news than simply being found in some random history book. Overall, I enjoyed the information and perspectives presented in this book. I may seek out more of this author's books to read in the future.

[Angela Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent little book... fascinating and myth-shaking. A great book to keep with you for reading in small pieces (waiting rooms at doctor/dentist's office). It is done in bite-sized portions, but still juicy and rich with good research. A great history intro for a class, too. Lots that lessons could be made out of! I have already recommended it and loaned it to someone... and as a history buff myself, that's saying something!

[Meghshyam B MK · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 by Graeme Donald is an interesting book which tells you that misconceptions that people have in major events of history in a very simple way. The book was interesting at first but as the later chapters came, Mr. Donald failed to make things interesting and the 'unknown truths' that he was stating was already a common knowledge to me. So in conclusion, this book is an easy read, and interesting at beginning, so I would give it a 3 out of 5.

[Charlotte Broadwater · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was and excellent book for any history buff. It covers the different myths that have become popular and even taught in schools. They cover how Christopher Columbus didnt discover America. And Cleopatra didn't die from a cobra bite. The most popular myths are debunked in this book. I recommend this book to middle to high school kids to all history buffs. This is a fanitating read.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some things I had never heard of, some fixed ideas repudiated, some conventional thoughts rearranged- all in all this was a short kind f fun read. Topics- Easter island, the Pyramids, a pope named Joan(?), the real Tokyo Rose, Captain Bligh, the British secret service and Rasputin, and many more.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. I new some of the facts and others were new to me. If you read this one you'll probably learn something about history as well as the fact that not everything you've been taught is the truth.

[Kaiti Laughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. (Honestly, I almost always enjoy books these days. I tend not to finish the ones I don't.) I learned a lot! I love its size- it's not too long or intimidating. I just want more! Graeme, I need more of this book!

[Ramona Cantaragiu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short chapters about historical figures or events that most often get confused or misconstrued. Some of them were more interesting than others, and I would recommend reading this one bit by bit rather than in one sitting because it can become a bit tedious.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this on sale at Chapters and decided sure mysteries I like. I learned some new stories but it wasn't mindblowing.
3/5

[Melissa Namba · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book I might revisit from time to time just to keep facts fresh. Not the best written and lacking in depth, but interesting and can lead to research on my own.

[Marguerite Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this book. Lots of interesting information that makes you rethink what you thought you knew.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonably interesting to see someone elses perspective on history.some chapters better than others,use it as a guide to fo further reading.

[Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short essays on various topics. Interesting read.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple and fun book about infamous and some not so famous 'moments' in time.
A great start for those who are starting to tread the waters of history.

[mrs m j smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, bite size bits of historical debunking. Fascinating, absorbing - looking forward to more books like this

[H.]

Not what I expected at first, thought it would be more in depth. Thoroughly enjoyed it.