1066 and All That: a Memorable History of England

by Walter Carruthers Sellar

Other authorsRobert Julian Yeatman (Author), John Reynolds (Illustrator)

Paperback, 1958

Status

Available

Call number

SOC H.200

Publication

E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc.

Pages

116

Description

One of the most well-loved and best-selling British humor titles of all time "Canute began by being a Bad King on the advice of his Courtiers, who informed him (owing to a misunderstanding of the Rule Britannia) that the King of England was entitled to sit on the sea without getting wet." This humorous "history" is a book that has itself become part of the UK's history. The authors made the claim that "All the History you can remember is in the Book," and, for most Brits, they were probably right. But it is their own unique interpretation of events that has made the book a classic; an uproarious satire on textbook history and a population's confused recollections of it.

Series

Memorable History (1)

Collection

Nonfiction

Barcode

1758

Language

English

Original language

English

Original publication date

1930

Physical description

116 p.; 7.24 inches

User reviews

LibraryThing member edella

Sellar and Yeatman's classic retelling of history is quite clearly a Good Thing. Written in 1930, and steeped in the subversive irreverence of British humour, the book expertly and hilariously parodies the process of writing history. From the first date in English history (55 B.C.), to the point at

which history comes to a . (1918), Seller and Yeatman insist that history is "not what you thought. It is what you can remember" and ably set out to prove it with a litany of schoolboy howlers and almost- plausible assertions. 1066 and All That is crammed with ridiculous reinventions of how history is taught; insisting that all historical events are either a "Good Thing" or a "Bad Thing", lampooning the nationalism of teaching history by suggesting that the focus is always to make Britain appear "Top Nation", and separating each section with exam papers which seem almost, but not quite as stupid as the real ones (including the famous instruction "Do not on any account attempt to write on both sides of the paper at once"). A precursor to the incredibly popular "Horrible Histories" series, this is a must for anyone who wants to take history seriously or otherwise

Show Less

24 more

LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey

Yuck. I thought it would be history with a twist, and was prepared to learn stuff and be amused; actually, it's a compendium of those lists of questions that schoolchildren get completely wrong. Which are mildly amusing in a dose of one page, four or five questions. This is 116 pages of total

scramble, to the point where I was pleased when I actually recognized what event they were talking about - one frequent trick was deliberately using the wrong name for someone or something. I learned absolutely nothing, and was alternately bored and annoyed in the process. I'm sorry I read it and will be getting rid of it as quickly as possible.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Bagpuss

I might have enjoyed it more if I'd read it when I was 16.

I say this for two reasons - 1. the humour is rather 'schoolboy' in style and also a bit dated now (the book was first published in 1930) and 2. my memory for school history is not sufficient for me to have enjoyed some of the references -

and history was my favourite subject at school!

I have to say I was pretty disappointed with it. It had some gems but for me, they were few and far between

Show Less

LibraryThing member bobmcconnaughey

My folks first got me a copy while i was in HS in the early 60s. I found its fractured but memorable history of Britain (and therefore, really, of the world..) wonderful then and have kept a copy on hand ever since. B&N has a reprint edition w/ the original illustrations, should that matter to any

readers. This book remains a great consolation and FAR outshines similar attempts at humorous history (ie Will Cuppy's The Decline and Fall..). "Has it never occurred to you the the Romans counted backwards? - be honest"

Show Less

LibraryThing member c_why

I take this as a compilation of all the answers those poor beleaguered secondary school history teachers might have grinded their teeth at throughout their teaching years. Very inventive way of getting back at the little buggers. It gets a bit tiresome if read in one or two sittings. Best to just

dip into occasionally. Puns can take you just so far ...

Show Less

LibraryThing member DarthDeverell

Walter Carruthers Sellar and Robert Julian Yeatman’s 1066 And All That: A Memorable History of England comprising all the parts you can remember, including 103 Good Things, 5 Bad Kings, and 2 Genuine Dates is a satirical take on how most remember their grammar school history lessons. Sellar and

Yeatman rely heavily on puns to recreate the misremembered names and places, working on the philosophy that people only remember the more famous historical figures and wars, with the stuff in the middle fading away into the ether. They write, “History is not what you thought. It is what you can remember. All other history defeats itself. This is the only Memorable History of England, because all the History that you can remember is in this book, which is the result of years of research in golf-clubs, gun-rooms, green-rooms, etc.” (pg. xxxiii). Written during the interwar years, the book ends with the peace following World War I and thus has an unintended joke when Sellar and Yeatman write, “History came to a .” (pg. 115). While some of the humor is dated, those who enjoy wordplay and are familiar with the events that Sellar and Yeatman lampoon will find plenty to laugh at in this volume. Ned Sherrin’s introduction for this Folio Society edition helps to contextualize both the authors and their humor while offering other examples of their literary work.

Show Less

LibraryThing member isabelx

I picked this up in Oxfam a couple of weeks ago. I have read it before, a long time ago, and all I could remember was that the Cavaliers were wrong but romantic, while the Roundheads were right but repulsive.
This book contains all the memorable bits of English history, from the time that we were

Top Nation; somewhat garbled and full of jokes, puns ("There was in Queen Victoria's reign a famous inventor and poet called Oscar Wilde who wrote very well but behaved very beardsley;") and creative misspellings. This is a very amusing book, which is a Good Thing.

Show Less

LibraryThing member meggyweg

I'd heard many wonderful things about this book and how funny it was but I didn't find it funny at all. Just a lot of bad puns. I didn't laugh even ONCE. Richard Armour fans would like it though.

LibraryThing member TadAD

The classic parody of English history—it's very funny. It's probably even funnier if you actually know some English history before you read it. Well worth the half hour.

LibraryThing member PollyMoore3

Still gloriously daft and funny, and definitely a Good Thing. Do not on any account attempt to write on both sides of the paper at once.

LibraryThing member stpnwlf

Satirical look at history, very small book

LibraryThing member Wanderlust_Lost

A hilarious "history" of England.
My favourite bit was "After this the Americans made Wittington President and gave up speaking English and became U.S.A. and Columbia and 100%, etc."

It's a terrific read. Short, but very very funny.

LibraryThing member staffordcastle

Riotously funny; a parody of Rudyard Kipling's "School History of England."

LibraryThing member Denise_Tzumli

A book which should be banned for young readers, say under 15. You really need to know some history to find this book funny, but when you do, it is a GOOD THING. I have recently reread it, and the section on Victorian history is now very funny.

LibraryThing member kaelirenee

This book is intended for an anglophilic audience. While this book requires a much greater understanding of British history to get all the jokes than I currently posess, it's still an amuzing romp through a history of the British Isles. Really, knowing enough history to understand the title is all

that's required to get started. Reading it is a bit like listening to a Dennis Miller bit-you don't get all the references, but it's still really funny and you feel a bit more comfortable (and laugh a bit harder) when something sounds familiar. It should be required reading for anyone teaching history, because I could picture most of my history teachers in this satire.

Show Less

LibraryThing member jcovington

This book is probably much funnier if you are British, but it is still worth purchasing even across the pond.

LibraryThing member leonardr

Reliably funny and chauvenistic. "The Roman Conquest was, however, a Good Thing, since the Britons were only natives at the time."

LibraryThing member badgenome

A great spoof on the way history is taught and generally thought about. With the 80th anniversary of its original publication not far off, 1066 still stands as one of the funniest books of all time.

LibraryThing member kingsstaff

I read this book the first time when I was in my early teens and although then I did not understand all the humour, I did enjoy most of it. I have just bought and read the 75th Anniversary edition and enjoyed it even more. It also has now been well illustrated with comic drawings.

I would recommend

this book to anyone with an interest and knowledge of British history and who enjoys a laugh at ourselves.

Show Less

LibraryThing member AmphipodGirl

I lacked the knowledge of English history to get most of the jokes.

LibraryThing member Duranfan

Good, dry, witty British humor. An enjoyable, quick read, especially if you're knowledgeable in British history.

LibraryThing member SChant

First read it as a kid, and read it reagularly ever since. It's just silly!

LibraryThing member AlexTheHunn

Tongue-in-cheek survey of English history. Although its great fun simply as a piece of humor, it's also interesting as a reflection of previous methods of historiography.

LibraryThing member wbell539

Read about 50 pages. Not a profitable read for me.

LibraryThing member Aleks_N_3

I thought this book was both entertaining and stimulating, which is a rare mix to be found. I think it will suit any historian, history student or history lover in general.

Fewer