About The Book
What can we learn from ten wars that have changed world history? A ridiculously funny new book for grownups from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of A History of Britain in Ten Enemies.
War: what is it good for? Absolutely something, surely, or we wouldn’t keep doing it.
Throughout the ages, each generation has faced the same questions: Am I willing to fight for my way of life? How can I come up with something the enemy hasn’t thought of? And the important one that people often forget to ask: is there a way of solving this amicably?
In A History of the World in Ten Wars, bestselling author Terry Deary shows us what can we learn from battles through the ages. In this hilarious, whistle-stop tour, you’ll find out:
- Why the ancient Greeks finally decided to band together after fighting each other for centuries
- The innovative guerrilla tactics of the Mongols (who were surprisingly interested in supply chains)
- Why teabags were invented by accident
- How Napoleon’s army was defeated not by the freezing Russian winter – common misconception – but by a summer heatwave
- And why the so-called World Wars were really just one very long war (with a break for half-time).
Written with Deary’s trademark humour, A History of the World in Ten Wars is packed with fascinating stories that reveal how wars have shaped society through the ages.
About the Author
Terry Deary is the author of over 350 published books, selling over 38 million books in 45 languages.
He rose to prominence as the author of the acclaimed Horrible Histories series, which made him the best-selling children’s non-fiction writer since records began. The series was adapted for a BAFTA-winning CBBC television series. In 2024, he published a book for adults, A History of Britain in Ten Enemies, which became a #1 Sunday Times bestseller with over 100,000 copies sold.
Terry was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Education by Sunderland University in 2000. He lives in County Durham with his wife Jenny and is an avid road runner in his spare time.
