'History as you've never seen it before.' Dan Snow 'A wonderful, eclectic and entertaining history of everything, full of fascinating, surprising stories.' Suzannah Lipscomb Did you know that the history of the beard is connected to the Crimean War; that the history of paperclips is all about the Stasi; and that the history of bubbles is all about the French Revolution? And who knew that Heinrich Himmler, Tutankhamun and the history of needlework are linked to napalm and Victorian orphans? In Histories of the Unexpected, Sam Willis and James Daybell lead us on a journey of discovery that tackles some of the greatest historical themes - from the Tudors to the Second World War, from the Roman Empire to the Victorians - but via entirely unexpected subjects. By taking this revolutionary approach, they not only present a new way of thinking about the past, but also reveal the everyday world around us as never before.
Reviews with the most likes.
A mixed bag of enjoyable historical ramblings which are all connected by themes. A topic is selected, then an endless series of digressions results. It's fun to hear factoids about how everything, from beds and bubbles to sleep and signatures, has a history. Topics include:
The Hand
Gloves
Perfume
The Bubble
Shadows
Beards
Dreams
Cats
Recommended if you want something to dip into. Although I can't recall 80% of what they said. The spread of information was simply too wide.
Series
1 released bookHistories of the Unexpected is a 1-book series first released in 2018 with contributions by Sam Willis and James Daybell.
