Description

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.

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

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

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.

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

Terry Deary, UK’s bestselling Children’s & Young Adult Non-Fiction author since records began, Nieslen, Septmeber 2024

Publisher Review

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