'''''Horrible Histories''''' is a series of illustrated books published in the [[United Kingdom]] and
now from 2007 officially in [[India]] by [[Scholastic (publisher)|Scholastic]]. They are designed to get children interested in [[history]] by concentrating on the trivial, unusual, gory, or unpleasant. The series has proved exceptionally successful in commercial terms. The books are written by [[Terry Deary]] and illustrated by Martin Brown and [[Philip Reeve]].
The first books in the series, ''The Terrible Tudors'' and ''The Awesome Egyptians'', were published in June 1993.
In May 2007, 8 of the original series of books were relaunched with new covers and extra content. The remainder are in the process of being republished in the new format, with a completion date of January 2009.<ref name="diary">[http://www.terry-deary.net/adventure/diary.htm "Deary Diary"], House of Adventure, URL retrieved 7 April 2008</ref> See [[Horrible_Histories#Book_Makeover|Book Makeover]].
==Titles in progress==
====2008====
*''Egent Edwardians and the Mad McManus' Both Releasing - 2 June
*''Angry Aztecs (new style) - 2 June''
*''Incredible Incas (new style) - 2 June''
*''Wales Special - 2 June''
*''Rotten Romans Board Game - July''
*''Gory Stories - Tower of Terror (Tudors) - 7 July''
*''Gory Stories - Tomb of Treasure (Egyptians) - 7 July''
*''Gory Stories - Wall of Woe (Romans) - 7 July''
*''Gory Stories - Shadow of the Gallows (Victorians) - 7 July''
*''Annual 2009 - 4 August''
*''Terrible Tudors 15th Anniversary Gift Edition - 9 August''
*''Trenches Handbook - September''
*''Rotten Romans Shuffle Puzzle Book - 3 September''
*''Awesome Annual 2007'' - (A trip through history displaying all of the most ruthless rulers of all time)
*''The Awful Egyptians'' - ([[Ancient Egypt]])
*''The Barmy British Empire'' - ([[British Empire]])
*''The Blitzed Brits'' - ([[The Blitz]])
*''Bloody Scotland'' - ([[History of Scotland]])
*''The Cut Throat Celts'' - ([[Celts]])
*''Cruel Crime and Painful Punishment'' - ([[Crime]] and [[Punishment]])
*''Cruel Kings and Mean Queens'' - (The [[List of British monarchs|Kings and Queens]] of [[England]], [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]], and the [[United Kingdom]])
*''Dark Knights and Dingy Castles'' - (The history of [[Knight]]s [[Castle]]s)
*''Dreadful Diary'' - (An 'on this day' style [[diary]].)
*''Dublin'' - ([[Dublin]])
*''Edinburgh'' - ([[Edinburgh]])
*''Egent Edwardians'' (The [[Edwardian Era]])
*''England'' - ([[England]])
*''Even More Horrible History (by Tim Wood)
*''Even More Terrible Tudors'' - ([[Tudor dynasty]])
*''France'' - ([[France]])
*''The Frightful First World War'' - ([[World War I]])
*''The Gorgeous Georgians'' - ([[Georgian era]])
*''The Groovy Greeks'' - ([[Ancient Greece]])
*''Horrible Christmas'' (2000) - ([[Christmas]])
*''The Horrible History of the World'' - ([[World History]])
*''The Wicked History of the World'' - ([[History of Earth|Earth's History]])
*''Wicked Words'' - (The History of [[Linguistics]])
*''The Woeful Second World War'' - ([[World War II]])
*''York'' - ([[York]])
===Book categories===
Though all of the Horrible History books are part of the same series, they are split up into many sub-series. Here are some of them:
====Ordinary books====
These are the original books that began the famous series:
* ''The Angry Aztecs''
* ''The Awesome Egyptians''
* ''The Awful Egyptians''
* ''The Barmy British Empire''
* ''The Blitzed Brits''
* ''The Cut Throat Celts''
*'' Egent Edwardians''
* ''Even More Terrible Tudors''
* ''The Frightful First World War''
* ''The Gorgeous Georgians''
* ''The Groovy Greeks''
* ''The Incredible Incas''
* ''The Measly Middle Ages''
* ''The Rotten Romans''
* ''The Ruthless Romans''
* ''The Savage Stone Age''
* ''The Slimy Stuarts''
* ''The Smashing Saxons''
* ''The Stormin' Normans''
* ''The Terrible Tudors''
* ''The Vicious Vikings''
* ''The Vile Victorians''
* ''The Villainous Victorians''
* ''The Woeful Second World War''
====Horrible Histories Two in One====
There are also the 'Two Horrible Books in One' versions
*''The Frightful First World War and The Woeful Second World War''
*''The Groovy Greeks and the Rotten Romans''
*''Gorgeous Georgians and Vile Victorians''
*''Smashing Saxons and Stormin' Normans''
*''The Terrible Tudors and The Slimy Stuarts''
*''Vicious Vikings and Measly Middle Ages''
*''The Barmy British Empire and The Blitzed Brits''
*''Angry Aztecs and Incredible Incas''
*''Egent Edwardians and the Jolly Jacks''
*''Horribly Huge Book of Awful Egyptians and Ruthless Romans''
====Novelty books====
According to the [[Scholastics]] [http://www.scholastic.co.uk/zone/book_horr-histories-novelty.htm] website,
* ''The Horrible (Wicked) History of the World''
* ''Awesome Annual 2007''
* ''Annual 2008''
* ''The Mad Miscellany''
* ''Cruel Crime & Painful Punishment''
* ''Action Packs: Awful Egyptians''
are considered ''Novelty Books'', and are not classified with the ordinary books.
====Specials====
There are a few books in the Horrible Histories series that have a special sign on the front cover stating that they are part of the ''Special'' sub-series of Horrible Histories.
They are:
* ''Bloody Scotland''
* ''Cruel Kings and Mean Queens''
* ''Dark Knights and Dingy Castles''
* ''England''
* ''Fat and Fasting Future''
* ''France''
* ''Ireland''
* ''Rotten Rulers''
* ''Rowdy Revolutions''
* ''The Twentieth (20th) Century''
* ''The USA''
* ''Wales''
* ''Wicked Words''
====Horrible Histories Cities====
Some Horrible Histories books have been based around a particular city, rather than a nation or a specific time period. They also have a map when the front cover is folded out, and explain some structures in the city when the back cover is folded out. Therefore, many people consider them to be a sub-series as well. (Even though Loathsome London doesn't have these qualities, it is still based on a city.)
They consist of: <br>
* ''Oxford''
* ''Stratford-upon-Avon''
* ''Dublin''
* ''York''
* ''Edinburgh''
* ''Loathsome London''
====Handbooks====
The Horrible Histories Handbooks also differ from the original books. They have colour and are shaped differently.
They consist of: <br>
* ''Warriors''
* ''Knights''
* ''Pirates''
* ''Witches''
* ''Villains''
* ''Trenches''
* ''The Horrible History of the World''
====Quiz books====
Sometimes, as well as the ordinary books, there is a quiz book that comes with it, testing your knowledge of that particular subject. They are:
These are the books that don't fit into the other categories. They are:
* ''Dreadful Diary''
* ''The Mad Millennium''
* ''Poisonous Postcards''
====Sticker & Activity Books====
See [[Horrible Histories#Sticker and Activity Books|Sticker and Activity Books]]
====Horrible Histories fiction====
See [[Horrible Histories#Fictions|Horrible Histories Fiction]]
====Christmas books====
*''Horrible Christmas''
*''The Big Fat Father Christmas Book''
==Book Makeover==
On 7 May 2007, eight of the original series of Horrible Histories books were republished with a new look and new content. According to the ''Horrible Herald'' [http://www.horrible-histories.co.uk/pdf/horrible_herald.pdf] (a fictitious newspaper made by Terry Deary), the new books have more information on the back cover, an index and lots more quiz questions. The initial eight were:
*Awesome Egyptians
*Groovy Greeks
*Measly Middle Ages
*Rotten Romans
*Terrible Tudors
*Vicious Vikings
*Vile Victorians
*Woeful Second World War
*Egent Edwardians
Countless titles have since been republished.
When the remaining three books in the series (Awful Egyptians, Ruthless Romans and Even More Terrible Tudors - the latter will probably have a change of title) will be published is unclear. According to Terry Deary's website<ref name="diary">[http://www.terry-deary.net/adventure/diary.htm "Deary Diary"], House of Adventure, URL retrieved 7 April 2008</ref>, August 2008 and November 08/January 09 are both possible dates.
==Contradictions==
In the Horrible Histories series, there are two books titled ''The Horrible History of the World'' and ''The Wicked History of the World''; however, they are the same book, only with different headings. To confuse things further, compact and mini editions are planned for release at the end of 2007. The same incident occurred with ''The Horribly Huge Quiz Book'' and ''Massive Millennium Quiz Book'', and ''The Mad Millennium'' and ''Mad Millennium Play''. Also, there are two different covers for ''Horrible Christmas'', as well as new paperback, compact and mini editions soon to be published.
==Controversy==
The book ''Bloody Scotland'' drew the ire of the tiny [[Scottish Separatist Group]], who claimed it promoted a "UK centric, anti-Scottish viewpoint of Scottish history", using comments like "Cook the haggis until it looks like a hedgehog after the fifteenth lorry has run over it". They reported the book to the [[Commission for Racial Equality]], who rejected their claim <ref name="houseofbooks">[http://www.terry-deary.net/shop/pages/horrhistory.html "Horrible Histories Causes Havoc"], House of Books, URL retrieved 24 December 2006</ref>.
The [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]] was unhappy with ''Cruel Kings and Mean Queens'' because it made jokes about [[Prince Charles]]'s ears (the prince is the trust's patron) and Queen Elizabeth II<ref name="houseofbooks"/>.
According to Terry Deary's homepage "Several of the books have been banned in some places" <ref name="houseofbooks">[http://www.terry-deary.net/shop/pages/horrhistory.html "Horrible Histories Causes Havoc"], House of Books, URL retrieved Fri Oct 26 17:51:52 CEST 2007</ref>.
==Exhibition==
At the end of 2007, Terry Deary announced that he would be releasing an exhibition, based on one of his most successful books, Frightful First World War. Deary has partnered up with Imperial War Museum to create an educational yet fun and enjoyable viewing. It is scheduled to be opened on the 24th of May. [http://www.iwm.org.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.5270]
==Sticker and activity books==
See [[Horrible Histories (other media)]]
==Audio tapes==
See [[Horrible Histories (other media)]]
==Magazines==
In late 2003 Terry Deary released the Horrible Histories Magazine Collection and in 2005 some of the titles in the series were released as free audiobooks as part of a promotion with [[breakfast cereal]]. Originally planned to be 60, the series was continued with an additional 20. Here is a list of the 80 Issues of the Magazine in the order in which they are received:
[[Image:HHMagME.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Magazine 5: The Measly Middle Ages]]
*1. The Gory Glory of Rome - ([[Roman Empire]])
*2. The Terrible Tudors: Horrible Henry - ([[Tudor dynasty|Tudor]] [[King Henry VIII]])
*3. The Awesome Egyptians: Mummy Mania - ([[Egypt]]ian [[Mummies]] and the [[Ancient Egyptian]] [[First Dynasty]])
*4. The Vile Victorians: Cruel Britannia - ([[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Victorian]] [[Britannia]])
*5. The Measly Middle Ages - ([[Middle Ages]])
*6. The Slimy Stuarts: Bombs & Broomsticks - ([[Stuarts]] and [[Guy Fawkes]])
*7. The Groovy Greeks: Hits 'n' Myths - ([[Greek Mythology]])
*8. The Frightful First World War - ([[World War I]])
*9. The Angry Aztecs - ([[Aztecs]])
*10. The Bizarre Tsars - ([[Russia]]n [[Tsars]])
*11. The Vicious Vikings - ([[Vikings]])
*12. The Terrible Tudors: Misery Mary - ([[Tudor dynasty|Tudor]] [[Mary I of England|Queen Mary]])
*13. The Savage Stone Age - ([[Stone Age]])
*14. Rotten Romans on the Rampage - (The end of the [[Roman Republic]])
*15. The Awesome Egyptians: Fabulous Pharaohs - ([[Ancient Egypt]]ian [[Pharaohs]]
*16. The Gorgeous Georgians: Heroes & Villains - ([[Georgian period in British history|Georgian]] [[Policemen]] and [[Criminal]]s)
*17. The Vile Victorians: Crime & Punishment - ([[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Victorian]] [[Crime|Crime and Punishment]])
*18. The Wicked Wild West - ([[Wild West]])
*19. The Frightfully Fabulous French - ([[France|French]])
*20. The Slimy Stuarts: Burning Boils - ([[Stuart]] [[Diseases]])
*21. The Woeful Second World War - ([[World War II|World War 2]])
*22. The Terrible Tudors: Bad Bess - ([[Tudor dynasty|Tudor]] and [[Elizabethan]] [[Queen Elizabeth the First]])
*23. The Extraordinary Explorers - ([[Explorers]])
*24. The Trendy 20s & The Dirty 30s - (1920s and 1930s)
*25. America & its Scurvy Settlers - ([[United States|America]] in 1800s and [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indians]]) [[Image:HHMagCM.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Christmas Special]]
*26. The Incredible Incas - ([[Incas]])
*27. The Smashing Saxons - ([[Saxons]])
*28. Rotten Romans in Britain - (The [[Roman conquest of Britain]] and [[Roman Britain]])
*29. The Vile Victorians: Foul Factories - (The [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Victorian]] [[British Agricultural Revolution|Industrial Revolution]])
*30. The Groovy Greeks: Alexander the Not-So-Great - ([[Greece|Greek]] [[Alexander The Great]])
*31. The Slimy Stuarts: Charlie's Gets the Chop - ([[stuarts|Stuart's]] [[Charles I of England|Charles I]])
*32. The Marauding Mongols - ([[Mongols]] and [[Mongolia]])
*33. Rowdy Revolutions: France - ([[France|French Revolution]])
*34. The Awful Ancients - ([[Ancient History|Ancient Civilizations]])
*35. The Sizzling Spanish - ([[Spanish language|Spanish]])
*36. The Beastly Barbarians - ([[Barbarians]])
*37. The Stormin' Normans - ([[Normans]])
*38. Ruthless Richard & the Useless Yorks - (The [[War of the Roses]])
*39. The Blitzed Brits - ([[United Kingdom|Britain's]] [[The Blitz|Blitz]] in the [[Second World War]])
*40. Rowdy Revolutions: America - ([[The [[American Revolutionary War]] and the [[Declaration of Independence]])
*41. The Silly Chilly Cold War - (The [[Cold War]])
*42. The Cut-Throat Celts - ([[Celts]])
*43. The Ingenious Italians - ([[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]])
*44. Nasty Knights & Crazy Crusaders - ([[Knights]] and [[Crusade]]rs)
*45. The Gorgeous Georgians vs. Nasty Napoleon - ([[Napoleonic Wars]]. End of [[Georgian period in British history|Georgian era]], beginning of [[Victorian era]])
*46. The Slicing Samurai - ([[Japan]]ese [[Samurai]])
*47. The 'Orrible Ottomans - ([[Ottoman Empire]])
*48. Plundering Pirates - ([[Pirates]])
*49. Rowdy Revolutions: Russia - ([[Russian Revolution of 1917|Russian Communist Revolution]])
*50. The Jumbled Germans - ([[Germany]])
*51. The Amazing Africans - ([[Africa]])
*52. The Incredible Indians - ([[India]])
*53. Revolting Rebellions: Europe - ([[Age of Revolution|European Revolutions]] for [[Republic]])
*54. The Cheeky Chinese - ([[Han Chinese|Chinese]])
*55. America's Very Uncivil War - ([[US Civil War]])
*56. The Terrific Pacific - ([[Pacific Islands]])
*57. The Irate Irish - ([[Ireland]])
*58. Revolting Rebellions: South America - ([[South America]])
*59. Cruel Colonials - ([[British Colonies]])
*60. The Awesome Aussies - ([[History of Australia (1788-1850)|Australian Colonists]] and [[Indigenous Australians|Aborigines]])
*61. The Scary Scots: Woad Warriors - ([[Scottish People|Scots]] and [[Picts]])
*62. Even More Rotten Romans - ([[Roman Empire]] and [[Roman Emperors|Emperors]])
*63. Awful England - ([[Prehistoric Britain|Pre-Norman England]])
*64. The Super South Africans -([[south Africa|Native South Africans]], [[Zulus]], [[Boers]], [[United Kingdom|British]], [[First Boer War|First]] and [[Second Boer War]]s and the [[Zulu War]])
*65. The Shifty 50s - ([[50s|The 50s]]).
*66. Even More Extraordinary Explorers - ([[Explorers]] and [[Age of Discovery|The Age of Discovery]])
*67. The Amazing Americans - ([[History of the United States (1865–1918)|Late 19th and early 20th century United States]])
*68. The Terrifying Trojans - ([[Troy|Trojans]], [[Minoans]], [[Crete|Island of Crete]], [[Macedon|Mycenaean]] [[Homer|poet Homer]], [[Greeks]], [[Amazons]], [[Scythians]] and the [[Troy|City of Troy]])
*69. The Crazy Caribbean -([[Age of Discovery|European Explorers]], [[Colonists]] and [[Caribbean|Native Caribbeans]])
*70. Even More Vile Victorians - ([[Victorian Era]])
*71. The Wild Welsh - ([[Wales]])
*72. The Shocking 60s - ([[60s|The 60s]])
*73. The Scary Scots: Tartan Terrors - (Pre-[[Acts of Union 1707|Act of Union]] [[Scotland]])
*74. The Busy Byzantines - (The [[Byzantine Empire]] and its enemies)
*75. The Elegant Edwardians - (The [[Edwardian Era]])
*76. Potty Portugal - ([[Portugal]])
*77. The Awesome North American Indians - ([[North American Indians]], [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] and [[Indian Wars]])
*78. The Polar Brrrs - (The [[North Pole|North]] and [[South Pole]]s)
*79. Awful England Again - (English Role-models, Heroes, Celebrities and Superstars)
*80. Rotten Round-Up - (The Rotten Runners-up and the Woeful Winners to various things (Fiercest Females, Maddest Monarchs, Measliest Diseases, Funniest Fashions...) )
Each issue came with small cards depicting historic people, places, events and customs as well as a collection of timelines. The first 60 issues came with timelines each showing an era of human history, while the later 20 had timelines showing the history of themes such as fashion, art and science.
There have also been three 'special' magazines in the series.
They are:
*S1. Horrible Christmas - ([[Christmas]])
*S2. Cruel Crimes and Painful Punishments - ([[Crimes]] and [[Punishments]])
*S3. Cruel Kings and Mean Queens - ([[English monarchs family tree|English Monarchs]])
The collection will be relaunched in the UK in September 2009 <ref name="diary">[http://www.terry-deary.net/adventure/diary.htm "Deary Diary"], House of Adventure, URL retrieved 7 April 2008</ref>.
==TV==
See [[Horrible Histories (TV Series)]]
==Kellogs/Telegraph audiobooks==
See [[Horrible Histories (other media)]]
==Fictions==
See [[Horrible Histories (other media)]]
==Spin-offs==
There have been several spin-offs written in a similar style to Horrible Histories:
*''[[America's Horrible Histories]]'' (Written by Elizabeth Levy)
*''[[Boring Bible]]''
*''[[Coping With]]'' (written by [[Peter Corey]], Illustrated by [[Martin Brown]] and [[Mike Phillips (illustrator)|Mike Phillips]])
*''[[Dead Famous (series)|Dead Famous]]'' (written by ''[[Alan MacDonald]]'' and illustrated by ''[[Philip Reeve]]'')
*''[[Foul Football]]''
*''[[Foul Future]]'' Written by James ''Jack'' McManus
*''[[Horrible Geography]]'' (written by ''[[Anita Ganeri]]'' illustrated by ''[[Mike Phillips (illustrator)|Mike Phillips]]'')
*''[[Horrible Science]]'' (written by ''[[Nick Arnold]]'' and illustrated by ''[[Tony de Saulles]]'')
*''[[Horribly Famous]]'' (written and illustrated by a variety of authors and illustrators).
*''[[Killer Puzzles]]'' (Written by ''[[Kjartan Poskitt]]'')
*''[[The Knowledge (book series)|The Knowledge]]'' (written and illustrated by a variety of authors and illustrators).
*''[[Murderous Maths]]'' (written by ''[[Kjartan Poskitt]]'' and illustrated by a variety of artists, the most common being ''[[Philip Reeve]]'')
*''[[Smelly Old History]]'' (Written by Mary J. Dobson)
*''[[The Spark Files]]''
*''[[Terry Deary's Tales]]'' (Written by Terry Deary)
*''[[Top Ten (book series)|Top Ten]]'' (written by various, including Terry Deary)
*''[[Truly Terrible Tales]]'' (Written by Terry Deary)
Horrible Histories is a series of illustrated books published in the United Kingdom and
now from 2007 officially in India by Scholastic. They are designed to get children interested in history by concentrating on the trivial, unusual, gory, or unpleasant. The series has proved exceptionally successful in commercial terms. The books are written by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown and Philip Reeve.
The first books in the series, The Terrible Tudors and The Awesome Egyptians, were published in June 1993.
In May 2007, 8 of the original series of books were relaunched with new covers and extra content. The remainder are in the process of being republished in the new format, with a completion date of January 2009.[1] See Book Makeover.
Titles in progress
2008
Egent Edwardians and the Mad McManus' Both Releasing - 2 June
Angry Aztecs (new style) - 2 June
Incredible Incas (new style) - 2 June
Wales Special - 2 June
Rotten Romans Board Game - July
Gory Stories - Tower of Terror (Tudors) - 7 July
Gory Stories - Tomb of Treasure (Egyptians) - 7 July
Gory Stories - Wall of Woe (Romans) - 7 July
Gory Stories - Shadow of the Gallows (Victorians) - 7 July
Annual 2009 - 4 August
Terrible Tudors 15th Anniversary Gift Edition - 9 August
Trenches Handbook - September
Rotten Romans Shuffle Puzzle Book - 3 September
Horrible Christmas flexibound edition - October
Awful Egyptians New Cover- November
Awful Egyptians Pop-Up - October
Gory Stories Middle Ages - Unknown date
Calendar 2009 - unknown date
2009 plans
Even More Terrible Tudors New Cover
Ruthless Romans New Cover
Gory Stories - Vikings - February
Blitz Handbook - March
Computer Game - March
Mini Keyring Book - April
Gory Stories - Blitz - May
Press-Out-And-Build Book - June
Annual 2010 - August
Gory Stories - Greeks - September
TV Series Tie-ins - September
Top Trumps game - September
Spies Handbook - September
The Wicked History of Britain - 7 September
Horrible Christmas republishing - October
Who's Horrible in History - October
Egyptians Shuffle Puzzle Book
2010+ plans
Details on Terry Deary's website are vague; however the following can be deduced from his diary:
4 TV Tie-ins - February 2010
2 handbooks - titles unknown - March & July 2010
Keyring Book 2 - April 2010
Huge Book 2 - June 2010
Annual 2011 - August 2010
Horrible Christmas republishing - September 2010
Who's Horrible in History - flexi edition - September 2010
are considered Novelty Books, and are not classified with the ordinary books.
Specials
There are a few books in the Horrible Histories series that have a special sign on the front cover stating that they are part of the Special sub-series of Horrible Histories.
They are:
Bloody Scotland
Cruel Kings and Mean Queens
Dark Knights and Dingy Castles
England
Fat and Fasting Future
France
Ireland
Rotten Rulers
Rowdy Revolutions
The Twentieth (20th) Century
The USA
Wales
Wicked Words
Horrible Histories Cities
Some Horrible Histories books have been based around a particular city, rather than a nation or a specific time period. They also have a map when the front cover is folded out, and explain some structures in the city when the back cover is folded out. Therefore, many people consider them to be a sub-series as well. (Even though Loathsome London doesn't have these qualities, it is still based on a city.)
They consist of:
Oxford
Stratford-upon-Avon
Dublin
York
Edinburgh
Loathsome London
Handbooks
The Horrible Histories Handbooks also differ from the original books. They have colour and are shaped differently.
They consist of:
Warriors
Knights
Pirates
Witches
Villains
Trenches
The Horrible History of the World
Quiz books
Sometimes, as well as the ordinary books, there is a quiz book that comes with it, testing your knowledge of that particular subject. They are:
The Awesome Ancient Quiz Book
The Horribly Huge (Massive Millennium) Quiz Book
Others
These are the books that don't fit into the other categories. They are:
On 7 May 2007, eight of the original series of Horrible Histories books were republished with a new look and new content. According to the Horrible Herald[2] (a fictitious newspaper made by Terry Deary), the new books have more information on the back cover, an index and lots more quiz questions. The initial eight were:
Awesome Egyptians
Groovy Greeks
Measly Middle Ages
Rotten Romans
Terrible Tudors
Vicious Vikings
Vile Victorians
Woeful Second World War
Egent Edwardians
Countless titles have since been republished.
When the remaining three books in the series (Awful Egyptians, Ruthless Romans and Even More Terrible Tudors - the latter will probably have a change of title) will be published is unclear. According to Terry Deary's website[1], August 2008 and November 08/January 09 are both possible dates.
Contradictions
In the Horrible Histories series, there are two books titled The Horrible History of the World and The Wicked History of the World; however, they are the same book, only with different headings. To confuse things further, compact and mini editions are planned for release at the end of 2007. The same incident occurred with The Horribly Huge Quiz Book and Massive Millennium Quiz Book, and The Mad Millennium and Mad Millennium Play. Also, there are two different covers for Horrible Christmas, as well as new paperback, compact and mini editions soon to be published.
Controversy
The book Bloody Scotland drew the ire of the tiny Scottish Separatist Group, who claimed it promoted a "UK centric, anti-Scottish viewpoint of Scottish history", using comments like "Cook the haggis until it looks like a hedgehog after the fifteenth lorry has run over it". They reported the book to the Commission for Racial Equality, who rejected their claim [2].
The National Trust was unhappy with Cruel Kings and Mean Queens because it made jokes about Prince Charles's ears (the prince is the trust's patron) and Queen Elizabeth II[2].
According to Terry Deary's homepage "Several of the books have been banned in some places" [2].
Exhibition
At the end of 2007, Terry Deary announced that he would be releasing an exhibition, based on one of his most successful books, Frightful First World War. Deary has partnered up with Imperial War Museum to create an educational yet fun and enjoyable viewing. It is scheduled to be opened on the 24th of May. [3]
In late 2003 Terry Deary released the Horrible Histories Magazine Collection and in 2005 some of the titles in the series were released as free audiobooks as part of a promotion with breakfast cereal. Originally planned to be 60, the series was continued with an additional 20. Here is a list of the 80 Issues of the Magazine in the order in which they are received:
79. Awful England Again - (English Role-models, Heroes, Celebrities and Superstars)
80. Rotten Round-Up - (The Rotten Runners-up and the Woeful Winners to various things (Fiercest Females, Maddest Monarchs, Measliest Diseases, Funniest Fashions...) )
Each issue came with small cards depicting historic people, places, events and customs as well as a collection of timelines. The first 60 issues came with timelines each showing an era of human history, while the later 20 had timelines showing the history of themes such as fashion, art and science.
There have also been three 'special' magazines in the series.
Wild Lives - a diary about encounters with various animals such as lions and sharks in a journal-type format
References
^ abc"Deary Diary", House of Adventure, URL retrieved 7 April 2008
^ abc"Horrible Histories Causes Havoc", House of Books, URL retrieved 24 December 2006 Cite error: The named reference "houseofbooks" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
