Book Review: History Made Horrible

History Today

History Made Horrible

Terry Deary's hugely popular Horrible Histories have leapt beyond the page onto airwaves, stage and screen and are the inspiration for an exhibition on the First World War trenches at the Imperial War Museum. Peter J. Beck considers the success of the format and what it tells us about history aimed at children.

Terry Deary's series of books, published by Scholastic, has sold over 2 1 million copies worldwide since first appearing in 1993. Translated into some 40 languages including Chinese, Korean and Russian, the format has transferred with similar success to CDs, DVDs, roadshows, stage plays, radio and television programmes and museum exhibitions. Since 2005 several million CDs have been distributed free in in promotions by Kellogg's cereals and the Daily Telegraph.

The franchise shows no sign of flagging. Currently, the Birmingham Stage Company is on tour performing two Horrible Histories plays. This year BBC Television broadcast / lorrible Histories in a format developed by the comedian Marcus Brigstocke; it became Britain's most watched children's television programme. A series of 1 3 programmes, full of rotten rulers, gory battles and lavatorial humour, took viewers from the Savage Stone Age onwards, making much of allusions to popular culture: four King Georges, singing 'Born 2 Rule over you', performed as a boy hand in a clip attracting numerous bits on YouTube; Henry VIlIs song, 'Divorced, beheaded and died: Divorced, beheaded, survived', offered an easy way of remembering the names, order and fate of his six wives. Deary himself, a former teacheractor, featured in cameo roles playing a Roman emperor and a graverobber.

At London's Imperial War Museum, the current Horrible Histories: terrible Trenches exhibition promises visitors, most of them children, that they will 'Learn, see. smell and hear about the First World War through frightful facts, ropey rhymes, sad songs and sinister superstitions in a great day out.' It follows the successful Frightful First World War exhibition thai took place at imperial War Museum North (2008-2009). In the longer term, Deary has hopes of developing a 'History Experience' theme park in north-east England.

Sunderland-born Deary has written more than 50 Horrible Histories since the first titles - Terrible Tudors and Awesome Egyptians - appeared 16 years ago. He continues to produce books al a prodigious rate. "A book takes me between six hours and six weeks to write,' he explains. Though Dearx takes pride in his work and welcomes letters of praise from readers - 'That makes it worthwhile", he says - he claims not to enjoy writing: ? love writing two words ... "The" and "End" ... the work of writing it is hard." Dear)' says he is happiest performing on stage, radio or television.

Taking history principally to the 6-12 age group, particularly those who are not fluent readers or lack a long attention span. Deary hopes to offer an 'alternative voice' for history. It is argued by some that the fractured nature of the texts and the emphasis on the more unpleasant episodes, far from offering an alternative, only serves to reinforce short attention spans. But Dean' justifies his 'horrible' approach to the past as a response to what he sees as the error of presenting history to young people in "big. thick books'. 'The trouble with history books is that adults, who can be pretty pompous, write them. You can just hear them saying, "I am an expert. So sit there and listen to what I am saying!" .'

Deary worries that the widespread use of his books in schools risks making them 'establishment" texts and he stresses his refusal to visit schools. As his website proclaims: 'Teachers note: Terry will not set foot inside a school for any reason.' His 'proudly anti-establishment' stance is further highlighted by his refusal of invitations to meet either Tony Blair at Downing Street - reportedly Chérie Blair claimed that their son read Horrible Histories - or the Queen during her visit to the north-east.

Horrible Histories make no more than a token effort at historical balance. Despite acknowledging the positive features of a changing world, the past is viewed largely in a subjective manner imbued with present-dny concerns that befit Dean's anti-establishment agenda: "My books ... show authority figures over the ages as being the villains. They are not balanced history books but demonstrations of how evil authority has been through the ages - a cautionary tale. 'Thus, Rotten Rulers (2005) begins 'Some of the most horrible people m history have been the people in charge. The bosses. The rulers ... emperors, kings and queens, warlords and history teachers." Only a few lines of The Barmy British Empire (2002) consider the other more 'positive' side of the imperial story.

Unsurprisingly, Deary is frequently criticised for dumbing down or trivialising the great events of history, joking inappropriately about executions and bloodshed and emphasising toilet humour. But his critics within the academy are not necessarily those of the Ivory Tower variety. Anna Whitelock, director of a new MA in Public History at Royal Hoiloway, University of London, and a passionate advocate of the need to widen access to the subject, is lukewarm about Deary's work: 'In principle,' says Whitelock, 'the Horrible Histories are a good thing, at least as far as getting kids interested in and enthusiastic about history. However, 1 find the pick and mix approach of topics in the books rather limited and 1 think children would benefit far more from good narratives. The Horrible Histories are certainly no replacement for a book like Our island Story which was so popular with children of previous generations.'

H. E. Marshall's 1905 classic is something of a touchstone for historians across the political spectrum, who seem little concerned by its inevitably dated and rather providential view of Britain's past. Tristram Hunt, another very public historian, a frequent podcaster and columnist for the Guardian, praised Our Island Story when it was republished recently and lamented the absence of a modern replacement with a similar narrative drive. ? probably think Horrible Histories are as good as we've got at the moment,' says Hunt, "but I much prefer Our Island Story, which seems to offer more of the romance of history.'

'There's a very uncomplicated certainty to Our Island Stow,' Hunt continues, 'which reflects the mindset of the times. It has a clear sense of purpose and though it couldn't be written now, it would still be my first choice as a history book to enthuse a child about the subject.' That and the old Ladybird books: 'An intelligent publisher should think about adapting them. They left vivid memories and were full of passion and polemic'

It may be that the Horrible Hist oríes relentless anti-authoritarianism, a distrust of all 'great' men and women, is a reflection of a modish cynicism. 'We have lost something," says Hunt. ? book like Our Island Story might still be written in the US. but not in Europe." Hunt cites the Asterix books by lhe French-born René Goscinny (1926-771 as another exemplar of European mistrust towards authorities and institutions.

Despite academias tendency to deprecate his output, Deary has a proven track record of enthusing young people about the past and particularly of teaching them, a !be il by stealth, the rudiments of history along with the rude, violent and disgusting bits. Notwithstanding such critiques and a strong element of presen tism, Horrible Histories do apprise young readers, albeit often implicitly, about the nature of history as a subject. Numerous dates and historical facts are included among the blood and gore, the executions, illustrations and jokes. More importantly, the crucial role of evidence is highlighted by the inclusion of extracts from primary sources, such as accounts by the suffragette, Lady Constance Lytton, about forced feeding or the 1915 British Army Field Almanac on wartime first aid.

Deary does have his defenders in the academy. Pointing out that 'popular history is not bad history ... it is simply history written and communicated in a different way", Justin Champion of Royal Hoiloway, University of London, is one who wholeheartedly embraces his work: 'Deary's books are designed for a particular authence and written in an appropriate style: who is to say that his volumes contain more or less "truth" than the equivalent volumes of lhe Oxford History of England?

Whether or not the undoubted interest in the past generated in young people by Horrible Histories provides a springboard for the study of history al secondary school and university remains questionable. But Deary's books ensure that the past is not ignored by children at a time when history is struggling to retain its place in the school curriculum and repeated surveys record the historical illiteracy of many young people. Finally, Horrible Histories have established that histor)' packaged and presented in an appropriate manner proves highly marketable to children (as well as to many parents and teachers). In this vein, perhaps the last word should go to the little boy who paid Terry Deary what he describes as the finest compliment for any presenter of history: "1 dont like books, but I read yours.'

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