Thursday, February 12, 2015

Historical Humor Book List

Enjoy a humorous book? Like historical books? Well, there is a book list that combines the two! Check out this book list...



1) "The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody: Great Figures of History Hilariously Humbled" by Will Cuppy

Ever wonder what Nero did before he began fiddling about in Rome, or wanted the bare facts about Lady Godiva? Maybe you've found the story of Lucrezia Borgia a bitter pill to swallow, or wanted the straight skinny on corpulent King Henry the Eighth, but you haven't the stomach for stuffy history books. Now these and twenty-two more of history's most famous personages are brought brilliantly to life, in this collection of unfailingly accurate yet undeniably hilarious biographies. You'll laugh while you learn about the very real people behind the legendary names, including why Montezuma was so vengeful, and why Catherine was so Great. You'll even finally lay to rest the rumor that Charlemagne was called "Chuck" by his friends.


2) "1000 Years of Annoying the French" by Stephen Clarke

Was the Battle of Hastings a French victory? No! William the Conqueror was Norman and hated the French. Were the Brits really responsible for the death of Joan of Arc? No! The French sentenced her to death for wearing trousers. Was the guillotine a French invention? No! It was invented in Yorkshire. Ten centuries' worth of French historical 'facts' bite the dust as Stephen Clarke looks at what has really been going on since 1066.


3) "The Partly Cloudy Patriot" by Sarah Vowell

In this insightful and funny collection of personal stories Vowell travels through the American past and in doing so ponders a number of curious questions: Why is she happiest when visiting the sites of bloody struggles like Salem or Gettysburg? Why do people always inappropriately compare themselves to Rosa Parks? Why is a bad life in sunny California so much worse than a bad life anywhere else? What is it about the Zen of foul shots? And, in the title piece, why must doubt and internal arguments haunt the sleepless nights of the true patriot?

Her essays confront a wide range of subjects, themes, icons, and historical moments: Ike, Teddy Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton; Canadian Mounties and German filmmakers; Tom Cruise and Buffy the Vampire Slayer; twins and nerds; the Gettysburg Address, the State of the Union, and George W. Bush's inauguration.


4) "An Utterly Impartial History of Britain or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge" by John O'Farrell

Many of us were put off history by the dry and dreary way it was taught at school. Back then 'The Origins of the Industrial Revolution' somehow seemed less compelling than the chance to test the bold claim on Timothy Johnson's 'Shatterproof' ruler. But here at last is a chance to have a good laugh and learn all that stuff you feel you really ought to know by now...In this "Horrible History for Grown Ups" you can read how Anglo-Saxon liberals struggled to be positive about immigration; 'Look I think we have to try and respect the religious customs of our new Viking friends - oi, he's nicked my bloody ox!' Discover how England's peculiar class system was established by some snobby French nobles whose posh descendants still have wine cellars and second homes in the Dordogne today. And explore the complex socio-economic reasons why Britain's kings were the first in Europe to be brought to heel; (because the Stuarts were such a useless bunch of untalented, incompetent, arrogant, upper-class thickoes that Parliament didn't have much choice.) A book about then that is also incisive and illuminating about now, "2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge", is a hilarious, informative and cantankerous journey through Britain' fascinating and bizarre history. As entertaining as a witch burning, and a lot more laughs.


5) "Mostly Rapscallions: Silent Sillies about the Rich and Infamous in History" by P.J. Sullivan

Irreverent revelations about some of the jokers in history's deck. The funny side of history, and none the worse for being true.


6) "It all Started with Columbus" by Richard Armour

BEING AN UNEXPURGATED, UNABRIDGED, AND UNLIKELY HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FROM CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS TO JOHN F. KENNEDY FOR THOSE WHO, HAVING PERUSED A VOLUME OF HISTORY IN SCHOOL, SWORE THEY WOULD NEVER READ ANOTHER. The author wishes to thank Christopher Columbus, Captain John Smith, George Washington, and the many others who made this book possible. He is also grateful to the Red Skins, the Red Coats, the Red Badge of Courage, and the inventor of gun powder, without whom the history of our country would have been sadly lacking in bloodshed and would have made dull reading. Nota bene: The author will appreciate assistance in eliminating, in future editions, any accurate dates or undistorted facts that may have insinuated themselves despite the most painstaking research and proofreading.


7) "Measly Middle Ages" by Terry Deary

Travel back into the measly Middle Ages, where the world was full of wild women, mad monks, naughty knights and crazy kings and queens! Discover a genuine jester's joke, why chickens had their bottoms shaved and what ten-year-old treacle was used for. With a bold, accessible new look, these bestselling titles are sure to be a huge hit with yet another generation of Terry Deary fans. Revised by the author to make Horrible Histories more accessible to young readers. 2013 is HORRIBLE HISTORIES twentieth anniversary.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.