The Interesting Bits: The History You Might Have Missed. Justin Pollard

Although I stumbled upon this book in the British History section of my local bookstore, the interesting bits that it contains come from around the world. Each of its 20 chapters is subdivided into about 10 sections, each of which is headed by a question, e.g., "Which King Died from a Splinter?" So, on average, each item/story takes up just over one page. This, in part, makes the book very difficult to put down; one always wants to read the next story since it's so short. The first thing you know, you've completed the book. The stories presented cover a variety of subjects from world history, as hinted upon by a given chapter's title; for example, "Heads" contains stories in which head-related events, such as decapitation, are prominent. The writing style is one of the book's best features. It is witty, tongue-in-cheek, immensely accessible and very engaging. The author's choice of words is priceless and caused me to laugh out loud on several occasions. This is a book that can be enjoyed by absolutely anyone. Although serious history buffs may frown upon the fact that this work does not have a list of references, they would surely agree that the author has written a charming book that is great fun to read.