An illustrated, humorous introduction to world history with a emphasis on violence and villains.

Terry Deary presents the foul but fascinating story of humans, from brain-nibbling Neanderthals to the terrified teenage soldiers in the twentieth century - all in glorious and goriest colour and now in flexi-bound paperback format. The truth about foul fighting is revealed in the Horrible Histories Rules of War, and readers can meet fifty of the most vicious villains of all time in the frightful fold-out feature. History has never been so horrible.

If you ever hear old folk moaning on about the world today, just remind them how woeful things were in World War II. When Hitler's horrid army were goose-stepping round the globe, nearly everything in Europe was totally AWFUL! Read on to discover... * The dreadful truth about Dad's Army * What happened when an elephant got loose in the blackout * Who made a meal out of maggots * Which smelly soldiers were sniffed out by their enemies * Why wearing white knickers could kill you What with doodlebug bombs dropping out of the sky and sweet rationing driving kids (and teachers) mad, life in the Second World War was truly wicked. So from snow-bound cities under siege to fly-infested jungle trenches, and from rotten rationing recipes to awful invasions, discover all the dire details about the worst war EVER!

This volume tells you about centuries of dreadful deeds, from cruel Celtic chieftains and suffering saints to the troubled 20th century. Visit the chamber of horrors, try a game to make you hurl and the top 20 Irish curses and find out the tragic truth about the foul famines and savage sieges.

Sail back to a vicious time with fearsome seafaring Viking warriors with big boats, big shields and enormous ginger beards. Readers can discover all the foul facts about the Vicious Vikings, including Viking gods in wedding dresses, corpses on trial and Death by booby-trapped statues. With a bold, accessible new look, these bestselling titles are sure to be a huge hit with yet another generation of Terry Deary fans. Revised by the author and illustrated throughout to make Horrible Histories more accessible to young readers.

Think you would have liked being an Ancient Egyptian? Not after you've read this book! Discover the disgusting details of their groovy gods, their potty pyramids and (of course!) their mad mummies. Find out how a hunted hippo got his own back on a foul pharaoh! Discover the truth about cool queen Cleo and the curse of Tutankhaumun! There's also a Top Ten of funny pharaohs, a Mad Mummies quiz and lots of foul facts about the messy mistakes the Egyptians made before becoming mummy-making experts. History has never been so horrible!

Terry Deary offers a whistle-stop tour of York's foul but fascinating history including details of the deadly diseases that plagued the city, why the vicious Vikings made such an impression and the truth about the criminal characters of Turpin and Fawkes. Comes complete with a fold-out map that shows all the horrible highlights of the city.