Horrible Histories Books

Terry Deary – the author of Horrible Histories, said: “I’m not a historian, but I want to change the world, attack the elite. Overturn the hierarchy, look at my stories, and you’ll notice that the villains are always those in power. The heroes are the little people.” In his Horrible Histories series, Deary states that he doesn’t just want to create history books but simply stories about people in dramatic scenarios combined with jokes. When Deary’s son was asked about his opinions on the books, he stated: “They’re brilliant. Because you learn stuff, and you laugh at the same time.” The aim of the books is to educate but also entertain. The books are filled with silly jokes and humorous stories, which makes the facts much more memorable. 

Deary is known as a very straightforward writer that paints an accurate picture with objective facts of the terrible and tragic history of different regions of the world. Even though you can see Deary’s personality portrayed in his work that brings forth humour and silliness, his goal was always to portray the terrible acts of past evil aristocracies. The books themselves are filled with gore and gruesome details, they are not for the faint-hearted. The series details historical facts and don’t gloss over particularly horrific events that they don’t always teach you at school. Don’t forget to check out our page for more Terry Deary books. 

In our Horrible Histories Savage 8 Book Collection, children will learn about the Terrifying Tudors and their terrible publishments, relentless royal family and long-suffering subjects. Also included in this set are The Awful Egyptians, Rotten Romans, Vicious Vikings, Measly Middle Ages, Vile Victorians, Frightful First World War and Woeful Second World War. Deary’s books not only educate but are also incredibly entertaining, combining facts with hilarious jokes and quizzes to test your knowledge. These books are much loved by children, teachers and adults alike. Making them an excellent read for anyone interested in the subject areas or for reading with your children as extracurricular activities! 

In 2009, CBBC produced a live-action sketch comedy musical series based on the bestselling novels. Horrible Histories became an incredibly popular tv series and ran until 2014, it has since been relaunched in 2015 with a different cast. The show remains one of the most-watched children’s tv shows, taking inspiration from iconic British comedies like Blackadder and Monty Python. The show has been used in schools and to help with exam revision, making it very popular with all ages. 

As well as the fantastically written Horrible Histories, Scholastic has also published the dreadfully good Horrible Geography series. With facts about Earth-Shattering Earthquakes, Monster Lakes, Violent Volcanoes, and so many more fascinating occurrences from around the world. Check out our Horrible Geography 10 Books Collection for a bumper box set. 

There are so many different subjects covered in Deary’s Horrible Histories and the Horrible Geography series, written by Anita Ganeri, there is bound to be something for all interests! We hope you enjoy, Horrible Histories. 

Terry Deary is a world-renowned author who has sold over 30 million books in 31 languages. Horrible Histories has won numerous awards, including the Blue Peter Award for Best Book with Facts. Published by Scholastic, these books are a verified staple of the UK National Curriculum for history and are frequently used by educators in 2026 to foster critical thinking and historical inquiry in students.