Unruly: The Number One Bestseller ‘Horrible Histories for grownups’ The Times
£11.90£23.80 (-50%)
Discover who we are and how we got here this holiday season in comedian David Mitchell’s UNRULY: A History of England’s Kings and Queens – a thoughtful, funny exploration of the entitled and enthroned.
‘JUST FANTASTIC. DELIGHTFULLY CONTRARY AND HILARIOUSLY CANTANKEROUS. VERY, VERY FUNNY’ JESSE ARMSTRONG, CREATOR OF SUCCESSION AND PEEP SHOW
‘CLEVER, AMUSING, GLORIOUSLY BIZARRE AND RAZOR SHARP. MITCHELL – A FUNNY MAN AND A SKILLED HISTORIAN – TELLS STORIES THAT ARE INTERESTING AND FUN. HERE IS HORRIBLE HISTORIES FOR GROWNUPS’ GERARD DEGROOT, THE TIMES
‘CLEVER, FUNNY, MAKES YOU THINK QUITE DIFFERENTLY ABOUT HISTORY’ DAN SNOW, HISTORIAN AND BROADCASTER
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Think you know your kings and queens? Think again.
In UNRULY, David Mitchell explores how England’s monarchs, while acting as feared rulers firmly guiding their subjects’ destinies, were in reality a bunch of lucky sods who were mostly as silly and weird in real life as they appear today in their portraits.
Taking us right back to King Arthur (spoiler: he didn’t exist), David tells the founding story of post-Roman England right up to the reign of Elizabeth I (spoiler: she dies). It’s a tale of narcissists, inadequate self-control, excessive beheadings, middle-management insurrection, uncivil wars, and at least one total Cnut, as the population evolved from having their crops nicked by the thug with the largest armed gang to bowing and paying taxes to a divinely anointed king.
How this happened, who it happened to and why it matters in modern Britain are all questions David answers with brilliance, wit and the full erudition of a man who once studied history – and won’t let it off the hook for the mess it’s made.
A funny book about a serious subject, UNRULY is for anyone who has ever wondered how we got here – and who is to blame.
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‘Mitchell clearly knows his history, with a book that owes as much to Monty Python as it does to Simon Schama’ ANDREW MARR, BROADCASTER
‘I don’t think anyone other than David Mitchell could have written this book. It’s clever, funny and makes you think quite differently about history we thought we knew’ DAN SNOW, HISTORIAN AND BROADCASTER
‘Who knew a history of England’s rulers could be this hilarious? A brilliantly entertaining romp through monarchs’ i
‘By turns fascinating and funny – there is a jewel of an insight or a refreshing blast of clarifying wit on every page. David brings a delightfully contrary and hilariously cantankerous eye to the history of the English Monarchy. Informative, illuminating and very very funny’ JESSE ARMSTRONG, CREATOR OF SUCCESSION AND PEEP SHOW
‘I can’t recommend this book enough. Very funny and interesting, it is above all a proper work of history’ CHARLIE HIGSON
*The Times Number One Bestseller October 2023*
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Additional information
| Publisher | Michael Joseph (28 Sept. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 448 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1405953179 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1405953177 |
| Dimensions | 15.6 x 4.4 x 23.6 cm |
by Tanya
I bought this as I hadn’t bought a book in ages and it appeared in the best sellers list under history. Good brief book of most of the rulers of England since the fall of the Roman Empire. Manageable if you’re not familiar with the subject but as I mentioned brief if you are. An extended version would be good, not but extending the time period covered but rather more detailed reigns and what other events were occurring during this time.
by Lorraine
I haven’t finished this book yet, but I am not disappointed. It is an accurate look at the history of our country. I have learned about many kings that I have never heard of before and many that I have. This is David Mitchells humorous look at our kings and queens. I have been laughing out loud at this book.
by DCP4755
Huge fan of ‘Mitchell & Webb’, etc., but this does get a little bit shouty.
It is really, genuinely interesting finding out about the sheer number of kings we’ve had, though.
Bit-sized pieces is highly recommended ????
by shep
Thought I might enjoy David’s book, needed cheering up. I did enjoy it and would recommend it. David’s voice came over very clearly in the reading and the book imparted its message in a light, frothy manner, at times straining for a laugh but on the whole very enjoyable. I remember Bill Bryson in one of his later offerings threw in the odd swear word and I remember thinking, a bit juvenile Bill what’s that for? It jarred a tad, same with this book. Billy Connelly can swear and we all laugh, sorry David when you try it just makes you look a bit of a nob, trying just a bit too hard to get down with the folks. Don’t do it.
by J. Pavier
I pondered whether I wanted to get the Audible narration with the Kindle edition of David Mitchell’s book. In the end I didn’t, and it transpired I didn’t need to. The author’s voice can clearly be heard as you read; the deep withering sarcasm, the logical deconsctructions of absurdisms we take for granted and the impeccable rants.
As someone who is familiar with David Mitchell’s style, has read a lot of medieval history and even shares some (only some) of his political sensibilities, I found this book hilarious. To me, it sits up there with Sellar and Yeatman (“1066 And All That”) as an antidote to the increasingly tendentious readings of English history that we are encouraged to consume from childhood onward.
As far as absurdities go, I am now a convert to the idea of porphyrogenitus. It seems as cogent a form of selecting who wields supreme executive power as having “some moistened bint lobbing scimitars at people.”
If you are at all prudish about language, you should probably skip the bits about the 10th century Danish kings. Mitchell finds some names to be too much of an open goal to resist. He gets bonus points for explaining both what Harthacnut actually means and what it certainly doesn’t mean.
When I saw that he stops relating the (mis)adventures of the line of William the Bastard in 1603, at the death of Elizabeth I, I cynically assumed that there would be a sequel. But, on reading his thesis about the fading role of the monarchy after the upheavals of the 15th century, I completely understand why he sees 1603, the final guttering of the Tudor usurpation, as a natural point at which to stop.
If you believe in the divine right of kings, or that majesty is a gift conferred only on first-born sons, this probably isn’t the book for you.
by Mrs J L***
I was waiting for this book since I first heard about it. It’s even better than I was hoping. So clever and witty full of fascinating insight. A revelation. I’m reading it really slowly to make it last longer. I’m enjoying every word of it. Thank you David!
by Dan Burrowes
There wasn’t a huge amount of new information here, but I think this book is a great one for those who don’t know much about, or have forgotten/need reminding about this period of history.
David Mitchell is the perfect guide to popular history. You get all the facts with a lot of good jokes, and the odd page-long aside, which is always fun.
by Louise D
This book is funny in a schoolboy humour kind of way. You can really hear David Mitchell’s voice in it but I did find it a bit chewy and I did have to persevere at times. At the end, however, the line ‘Unlike Shakespeare, they were not important’ left me feeling rather flat. But, if you read the book, you will see DM’s explanations for this sentence and others in a similar vein. He is plainly super smart and I don’t pretend to be! But still, it made me feel a little off by the end. Probably not a book for a history student.