History without the Boring Bits by Ian Crofton

History without the Boring Bits by Ian Crofton

A strikingly different take on world history, from the former editor-in-chief of The Guinness Encyclopedia Conventional chronologies of world history concentrate on the reigns of kings and queens, the dates of battles and treaties, the publication dates of great books, the completion of famous buildings, the deaths of iconic figures, and the years of major discoveries. But there are other more interesting stories to tell, stories which can bring the past vividly and excitingly to life. Imagine a book that tells you the date of the ancient Roman law that made it legal to break wind at banquets; the name of the defunct medieval pope whose putrefying corpse was subjected to the humiliation of a trial before a court of law; the identity of the priapic monarch who sired more bastards than any other king of England; and last but not least the date of the demise in London of the first goat to have circumnavigated the globe twice. Imagine a book crammed with such deliciously disposable information, and you have History Without the Boring Bits. By turns bizarre, surprising, trivial, and enlightening, this book offers rich pickings for the browser, and entertainment and inspiration aplenty for those who have grown weary of more conventional works of history.

A former editor-in-chief of The Guinness Encyclopedia, Ian Crofton's authorial credits include Brewer's Britain and Ireland (2005) and the forthcoming 2nd edition of Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase and Fable (with John Ayto). He lives in North London with his family.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781848668683
ISBN 10	1848668686
Title	History without the Boring Bits
Author	Ian Crofton
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Quercus Publishing
Year published	2015-02-05
Number of pages	368
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable