Unruly: The Number One Bestseller ‘Horrible Histories for grownups’ The Times

· Random House
4.5
14 reviews
Ebook
448
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About this ebook

THE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

A funny book about a serious subject, Unruly is for anyone who has ever wondered how we got here - and who is to blame.

'Clever, amusing, gloriously bizarre and razor sharp. Mitchell – a funny man and skilled historian – tells stories that are interesting and fun. Here is Horrible Histories for grownups’ GERARD DEGROOT, THE TIMES

'Just fantastic. Delightfully contrary and hilariously cantankerous. Very, very funny’ JESSE ARMSTRONG, CREATOR OF SUCCESSION AND PEEP SHOW
'Clever, funny. Makes you think quite differently about history’ DAN SNOW, HISTORIAN AND BROADCASTER

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Think you know your kings and queens? Think again.

Taking us right back to King Arthur (spoiler: he didn't exist), Unruly tells the founding story of post-Roman England up to the reign of Elizabeth I (spoiler: she dies). It's a tale of narcissists, inadequate self-control, excessive beheadings, middle-management insurrection, uncivil wars, and at least one total Cnut.
How this happened, who it happened to and why it matters in modern Britain are all questions David Mitchell answers with brilliance, wit and the full erudition of a man who once studied history – and won't let it off the hook for the mess it's made.
*The Times Number One Bestseller October 2023*

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‘An enjoyable, rollicking read, definitely not a conventional history book’ THE TIMES
Chatty, irreverent and liberally sprinkled with gags and opinions. Horrible Histories with added swearing’ GUARDIAN

'Mitchell clearly knows his history, with a book that owes as much to Monty Python as it does to Simon Schama' ANDREW MARR, BROADCASTER

'Who knew a history of England's rulers could be this hilarious?' i

'I can’t recommend this book enough. Very funny and interesting, it is above all a proper work of history' CHARLIE HIGSON

Ratings and reviews

4.5
14 reviews
Laurence Copeland
March 17, 2024
This is history as rewritten by a 12-y.o. – foul-mouthed, jokey and puerile. Its style will appal anyone with an adult attitude to the writing of history. Hence, I loved it. In fact, it was one of the most enjoyable works of history I have ever read – and I have read a lot, for someone whose formal history teaching ended at age 14! For all its 4-letter words and humorous asides, often digressing to reference contemporary issues, celebrity culture and social media, it delivers some serious messages about the origin and subsequent evolution of English monarchy. For example, it offers some acute insights into the rise and fall of the concept of the Divine Right of Kings which had escaped me. Moreover, the book is as replete with footnotes (or endnotes, at least in my version) and illustrations as any ostensibly serious history tome. I recommend the eBook, which offers so many advantages in terms of search etc. If you’re a Luddite, you probably won’t enjoy the book anyway
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Peter Harrison
June 11, 2024
Did not enjoy the humour.
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John Whiteoak
November 16, 2024
Informative and very entertaining. I wish David had been my history teacher!
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About the author

David Mitchell is a BAFTA Award-winning actor, writer and comedian who has starred in many of the UK's best-loved TV shows, including Peep Show, That Mitchell and Webb Look and Upstart Crow. He is a team captain on Would I Lie to You? (BBC One), the host of The Unbelievable Truth on Radio 4 and one of the Observer's most popular columnists. Unruly: A History of England's Kings and Queens is his first history book.

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