A History of the World in 51 Heroes and Villains: The rip-roaring new book from the hosts of The Rest is History

‘The world’s most successful history podcast … Holland and Sandbrook have pretty much reinvented popular history for the modern age’ THE TIMES ‘The history publishing phenomenon of my lifetime’ NEW STATESMAN From the award-winning podcast The Rest is History and Sunday Times bestselling authors Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook comes a riotous deep dive into history’s biggest heroes and most notorious villains Welcome to a shadowy realm where the divide between the noble and the nefarious isn’t quite as clear as it seems. Where supposed saints appear suspiciously traitorous, and so-called scoundrels reveal unexpected glimmers of virtue. Prepare for sword fights, scandals and enough moral ambiguity to make Machiavelli blush – from the imperial court of eleventh-century Japan to the studios of twentieth-century Hollywood. Along the way, Holland and Sandbrook debate questions like: -Was Caligula an irredeemable monster or history’s favourite scandal magnet? -Was Joan of Arc a saintly saviour or a dangerous heretic? -Was Wojtek the bear a true Second World War hero or simply a cuddly mascot? -Was Elizabeth I a true Virgin Queen or just brilliant at branding? So polish your armour, don your villainous moustache and get ready to choose a side in the ultimate showdown between history’s greats and rogues…