Overview

'Brilliantly funny' SHAPARAK KHORSANDI 'Immensely enjoyable' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE 'Every page contains delights' LINDSEY FITZHARRIS Why is Italy called Italy? How old is curry? How fast was the medieval Chinese post system? How do we know how people sounded in the past? Who invented maths? Responding to fifty genuine questions from the public, Greg Jenner takes you on an entertaining tour through history from the Stone Age to the Swinging Sixties, revealing the best and most surprising stories, facts and historical characters from the past. From ancient joke books, African empires and the invention of meringues, to mummies, mirrors and menstrual pads - Ask A Historian is a deliciously amusing and informative smorgasbord of historical curiosities.

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9781474618625

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Reviews

This rewarding romp through the highways and byways of the past... is an immensely enjoyable book, written in a lively, engaging style accessible to a broad audience of all ages... One of Jenner's real achievements is the creation of a genre of public history that fuses scholarly research with humour, and it is intended to entertain as much as it is to educate. For this he is to be congratulated. -- James Daybell * BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE * Jenner uses all the questions you never dared to ask about history as an excellent excuse to rummage around in some funny, fascinating, and downright peculiar corners of the past. Every page contains delights, and you will be illuminated and entertained in equal measure. * Lindsey Fitzharris, author of The Butchering Art * If history informs our future, Greg Jenner is one of the best informants out there. He is a natural story-teller, conveying complex ideas and events with pep, verve, and wit. For anyone who regularly asks the question 'Why?', this book is for you. * Susie Dent, author of Word Perfect * In this brilliantly funny book, Greg proves yet again that history is for absolutely everybody. * Shaparak Khorsandi * A lively selection, spanning a diverse array of subjects and periods... a great way into some of history's biggest themes and concepts. * HISTORY REVEALED, Book of the Month * In juggling both the role of ancient Greek scholar and medieval court jester in Ask a Historian, Jenner has delivered an ideal stocking filler that is as enlightening as it is entertaining. * REACTION * Endlessly entertaining and utterly addictive, this book provides a cornucopia of historical delights. The eclectic, sometimes bizarre range of questions showcase the author's encyclopaedic knowledge and engaging, humorous style to perfection. The result is everything you need to know about history - and much more besides. * Tracy Borman author of Thomas Cromwell * Huge fun -- Teddy Jamieson * THE HERALD *

Author Information

Greg Jenner is a public historian best known as the host of the hit BBC podcasts You're Dead To Me and Homeschool History, his work on BBC's multi-award winning TV series Horrible Histories, and for his books Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity, From Bronze Age To Silver Screen and A Million Years In A Day: A Curious History of Everyday Life From The Stone Age To The Phone Age. He is an Honorary Research Associate at Royal Holloway, University of London.

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