What They Don't Tell You About Vikings ¦ Ancient Greeks ¦ Ancient Egyptians ¦ Romans in Britain ¦ Anglo-Saxons ¦ World War II

A 'Horrible Histories' style collection covering six key historical periods. Straighter in tone than the genuine Horribles (inevitably the two series will be compared), these bright and breezy books are packed with quirky facts and information. They work equally well as books for dipping into at random or as accessible end-to-end reads.

My own personal favourite was What They Don't Tell You About World War II. The narrative style, which in other titles sometimes steered an uncertain path, was much surer and tighter here and the straighter tone suited the subject matter. I would have liked to see more about the Holocaust - a single page did not seem enough. As with the other titles, the quiz seemed somewhat tacked on at the end as an afterthought but it was good to see an index.

Overall, a series cheap enough to suit most pockets and cheerful enough to stimulate interest in their subject. And it is always good to learn something new and useful like this Ancient Egyptian warning against the perils of drink: 'Do not indulge in drinking beer lest you utter evil speech and do not know what you are saying.' Let that be a lesson to us all!