Hilarious History

Brought to you by Penguin. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Narrated by Adrian Bliss, featuring the voices of Beth Rylance, Sebastian Humphreys and Kristin Atherton. History belongs to the heroes. But to get the full story, sometimes you have to ask the side characters. The lives of Leonardo da Vinci...

Brought to you by Penguin. A ridiculously funny history of Britain for adults from the multimillion-copy bestselling author of the Horrible Histories, perfect for fans of Unruly by David Mitchell. Ah, Britain. So special. The greatest nation on earth, some say. And we did it all on our own...

“Dominic clearly remembers more about the 90s than I do.” – Zoe Ball I was in the right place at exactly the right time. I was handed a precious backstage pass to this magical period, as a chronicler of some of its most significant moments, of its wild protagonists, whether in music...

Wondering whether eating powdered mummies might be just the thing to cure your ills? Tempted by those vintage ads suggesting you wear radioactive underpants for virility? Ever considered drilling a hole in your head to deal with those pesky headaches? Probably not. But for thousands of years, people have done things like this - and things that make radioactive underpants seem downright sensible! In their hit podcast, Sawbones, Sydnee and Justin McElroy breakdown the weird and wonderful way we got to modern healthcare. And some of the terrifying detours along the way.

Twenty years ago, Bill Bryson went on a trip around Britain to celebrate the green and kindly island that had become his adopted country. The hilarious book that resulted, Notes from a Small Island, was taken to the nation’s heart and became the best-selling travel book ever, and was also...

Clive Hapgood is feeling stuck. The private school he teaches at is consuming his life, no thanks to wretched headteacher Julian Crouch. The gentle country life Clive envisaged has stifled him and left his marriage on the brink. What he needs is a holiday - something to remind him and Helen what life used to be like. But when things don't go to plan, and an incident at school begins to weigh heavy on his head, Clive's life starts to unravel in front of him. Has he got it in him to turn things around, whatever the cost? After all, it's his own time he's wasting.... 

From actor, comedian, writer, and host of the hit history podcast SNAFU, Ed Helms brings you an absurdly entertaining look at history's greatest screwups, complete with lively illustrations. History contains a plethora of insane screwups-otherwise known as SNAFUs. Coined during World War I...

Colin Coleridge is facing a long, boring summer holiday with NOTHING to do. But when he notices some weird markings outside his house, and some strangers acting VERY suspiciously in his neighbour’s garden, he decides to investigate. And before too long, Colin and his new friend Lucy have found...

'Superb ... entertaining ... Phillips traverses this sprawling terrain with energy and charm' Telegraph 'Exceptionally funny from cover to cover, it is not only an entertaining read but also deeply researched and thoughtful' Irish Independent 'Fans of Phillips's earlier books Humans and Truth...

These days you can play a round on the ice floes in the Arctic, in the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq and on the plains of Africa. The rich history of the sport has produced a wealth of screwball, outlandish and just plain weird tales.

From the hosts of the criminally popular podcast Criminalia, a dangerously delicious cocktail and mocktail book inspired by history’s most notorious (and notoriously overlooked) criminals. Every month, over 200,000 listeners download Criminalia to hear stories of history’s wildest and most...

Canadian hockey is rife with tales of the odd, the strange, the funny and, occasionally, the disturbing side of the game: in 1976, Maple Leafs coach Red Kelly installed pyramids in the players’ dressing room and under the bench in an attempt to harness “pyramid power”; the Cusimano brothers started the tradition of “octopus hurling” during the 1952 playoff games; in 1930, Toronto Maple Leafs’ general manager Conn Smythe placed a winning bet on a longshot horse to pay the cash-strapped Ottawa Senators for star player Frank “King” Clancy; and more!