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A History of Britain in Ten Enemies

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A History of Britain in Ten Enemies

By: Terry Deary
Narrated by: Toby Longworth
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About this listen

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. Didn’t we?

As it happens Britannia got its name from the Romans, and for the past two centuries we have been ruled by Germans. As Horrible Histories author Terry Deary argues, nations and their leaders are defined by the enemies they make.

- Elizabeth I would count as a minor royal without the Spanish Armada
- Without the Nazis, Churchill would be remembered as an opposition windbag
- The surprisingly sadistic Boudica would be forgotten if it weren't for the Roman Ninth Legion

And after all, every nation sometimes needs a bit of unifying Blitz spirit (although in an ideal world, we wouldn’t have accidentally let Corporal Hitler go in the first place).

The British have a proud history of choosing their enemies, from the Romans to the Germans. You might even say those enemies made Britain what it is today...

A History of Britain in Ten Enemies is a witty, whistlestop tour of British history that will have you laughing as you find out what they didn't teach you in school.

'If you could take just one history book to a desert island, this would be it. Laugh out loud funny... Pure joy' Conn Iggulden

'Ram-packed with mind-blowing facts, hilarious characters, and little-known tales' Dan Schreiber

'Playful, cheeky, and very clever, this is a book for anyone who ever wished there was a Horrible Histories for grown-ups' Kate Lister

©2024 Terry Deary (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 Civilization Europe Great Britain Military Politics & Government World Funny Witty Thought-Provoking Imperialism Royalty Winston Churchill War

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Critic reviews

Packed with dinner-party-worthy anecdotes, the kind which will delight history buffs and newcomers alike... a whirlwind of fascinating, globe-traversing history... a lively, wacky book, fizzing with energy and character... entertaining and accessible. (Alice Loxton)
If you could take just one history book to a desert island, this would be it. It is laugh-out-loud funny, but there is also a love of history and story here that is pure JOY. (Conn Iggulden, author of the Emperor and Conqueror series)
This book made me proud to be British. Ever since Britain existed as a nation, we’ve chosen only the fiercest and most fascinating enemies, and we usually put up a pretty good fight. And luckily, only recently have we started to lose to them on penalties. (Stephen Clarke, author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French)
Finally a book by Terry Deary that I don’t have to sneak into my children’s bedroom at night to steal once they’ve gone to asleep. And who better to tell us about Britain’s enemies than history’s greatest ally. Terry Deary has once again delivered a book ram-packed with mind-blowing facts, hilarious characters, and little-known tales. (Dan Schreiber, author of The Theory of Everything Else and host of No Such Thing As a Fish and We Can Be Weirdos)
Terry Deary in his inimitable style somehow manages to keep it down to just ten enemies. Hopefully none of them are unfinished business! (Al Murray, author of Arnhem Black Tuesday (and special guest drummer on Horrible Histories))
Playful, cheeky, and very clever, this is a book for anyone who ever wished there was a Horrible Histories for grown-ups. A glorious romp through the history of Britain’s enemies. (Kate Lister, author of A Curious History of Sex and host of Betwixt the Sheets)
Told with characteristic wit and verve, this book makes you question everything you thought you knew about some of the most famous events in British history. Not just an eye-opener, but a mind-opener. (Tracy Borman, author of The Private Lives of the Tudors and joint Chief Curator for Historic Royal Palaces)
Nobody has changed history more than Terry Deary
All stars
Most relevant
Great book, it’s shows how stupid our history is. It shows that we haven’t changed after all these years and that we should be better. Great humour and a powerful message at the end. Brilliant Narrator I have listened to many of the books he has read. 5 out of 5.

Great book

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I didn't grow up with the Horrible Histories, so I'm not entirely sure how reminiscent reading this book is for someone who did. I mainly read the book on account of having greatly enjoyed David Mitchell's "Unruly" and wanting to check out something in the same vein.

It's darkly humorous, and enjoyably tongue in cheek although I'm not entirely sure about the historical factuality throughout. It's enjoyable, it opens up to more questions that you can explore and has an ultimately positive goal of showing how we're ultimately brought together by what we have in common instead of what divides us.

Darkly Humorous

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generally speaking I really enjoyed the book, some faint words of patronising jabs but overall really good, up until the last 10 minutes, at which point the author goes on a bit of a political rant, and for me (despite agreeing with several points) soured the book as a whole.

So Close

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The actual history as interesting. Need to look past the author’s woke agenda and dislike for Britain

Was a snapshot of British history

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Read the book & purchased the audio book. Fabulous read / listen. Very entertaining and informative.

Fabulous.

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