The Rest is History: The official book from the makers of the hit podcast
£14.99£18.99 (-21%)
Make room Herodotus, stand down Bede, pipe down Pepys – there’s a new history book in town.
From the chart-topping podcast The Rest is History, a whistle-stop tour through the past – from Alexander the Great to Tolkien, the Wars of the Roses to Watergate. The nation’s favourite historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook take on the most curious moments in history, answering the questions we didn’t even think to ask:
– Did the Trojan War actually happen?
– What was the most disastrous party in history?
– Was Richard Nixon more like Caligula or Claudius?
– How did a hair appointment almost blow Churchill’s cover?
– Why did the Nazis believe they were descended from Atlantis?
Whether it is sending historical figures to Casa Amor in a series of Love Island, ranking history’s most famous eunuchs and pigeons (including Winkie, the unsung hero of the Second World War), or debating the meaning of greatness, there is nothing too big or too small for Tom and Dominic to unpick.
So run your Egyptian milk bath, strap up your best Spartan sandals, and prepare for a journey down the highways and byways of the human past. . .
WATERSTONES’ BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: HISTORY
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Additional information
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing (26 Oct. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 432 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 152666769X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1526667694 |
| Dimensions | 0.1 x 0.1 x 0.1 cm |
by Closet Romantic
I haven’t listened to the podcast from which this book takes its chapters. I found the first part about pigeons hilarious – and very interestng as I am a tour guide in a city which commemorates its brave, WW2 Dickin Medal awarded pigeon. The rest of the sections in this short sampler were interesting but not as humerous as the pigeons. It’s a book I am going to put on my Christmas list as my husband never know what to buy me!
by Jan-chan
Are you looking for a Christmas present for the brother (or sister) who is difficult to buy for? “The Rest is History” could be the answer. It consists of short chapters conveying curious facts from history. Some are more dubious than others — but the authors provide references!
Better illustrations than its uninspiring line drawings would have been welcome. Nevertheless, it is a light-hearted and amusing book for dipping into. You might even learn something…
by PootleFlump
I’ll start the review by admitting I am a MASSIVE fan of The Rest is History podcast so I was very excited to get the book, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Those of us who are regular listeners will recognise some of the material as having been covered in the podcasts but that was fine by me – for example, I (very unexpectedly) loved the episode about pigeons and was really pleased to see it appear here. All sorts of subjects have been covered which I wouldn’t expect to be particularly interested in normally but by the end I’m always hooked and it’s the same with the book. It helps that both Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland are not only excellent communicators when they’re discussing history, but both write superb books and that’s reflected here. I particularly enjoyed guessing which of them was responsible for which section – I have my suspicions.
The writing style is very readable and very funny, with bite size chapters meaning it’s a book you can pick up and open at random and always find something interesting. I’m less disciplined than that though – I completed it in one sitting. It’s a perfect book to buy as a gift too, for all sorts of ages. Hopefully this will be the first of many!
by Jenny Hill
Enjoyable but occasionally daft! I haven’t listened to The Rest is History podcast but will try it now. The book’s sampler I was given is fun to read. My favourite part was about pigeons. Who knew that the Romans used homing pigeons!
by Nicola Wilton
My two favourite history authors combined to produce this gem of a book?! Yes please. And also how did I not know that they had a podcast!! I’ll definitely be checking it out. If the book of the podcast is anything to go by, it’ll surely be epic.
This sampler was great and set itself up to be an amazing book. It was super entertaining and very easy to read and enjoy. History can be such a dry subject if read like a textbook but you certainly won’t find that here. We have humour, history and the authors great styles of writing which will have you effortlessly reading along.
Loved it and I can’t wait for the release of the rest of the book!!
by Julie W.
From the sampler that I read, it seems to be a good book for the coffee table. A book that is easy to dip into and out of.
Excellent pieces of information that could be used as quiz question. Names that you know ie dogs, and how they became famous.
Would really have liked to have read the whole book in stages.
by jean
I have to admit I wasn’t aware of this podcast, but having enjoyed this sample full of humour and interesting facts, I will be looking out for it and the full length book.
thank you to netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an advance copy of this book
by Helen Musson
Brilliant!