"Stick a Flag in It" is the perfect coffee table book, ideal for picking up and flipping through at your leisure. Each chapter is like a bite-sized history lesson. The sections covering railways, including anecdotes about the first railway death and Brunel's contributions, were particularly enjoyable. Lomas's witty writing style makes complex historical events seem easy to digest.

However, it's not without its criticisms. The language is too salty for school use, and the author's perspective on the British Empire might not sit well with everyone. Nonetheless, for those who appreciate a lighthearted approach to history, this book delivers.

I received an Advance Reader's Copy from NetGalley and Unbound in exchange for an honest review, and I'm grateful for the opportunity.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I always struggled with history at school because it can be quite a dull subject - but not in this book!

It's fun, educational and has produced quite a few conversation starters for me - the "did you know..." type.

Worth reading, especially for anyone like me who wanted to learn about history but fell asleep in lessons!

A fun tour-de-force of englands conquests told in a delightful manner. The author is able to make history an easy to read format and composes a whirlwind of facts into an easy to digest book.

I loved this book, with it's down to earth modern take on history. There are certainly some elements of it that I will take forward with me, like Sir Francis Drake was nothing but a state-sponsored pirate who liked stabbing people in the face!

I found the first few chapters I struggled with but only because I find early medieval history a little dreary - even with the author's humour but it livened up as the book progressed.

This is a great introduction to the history of Britain!

I think I was expecting a mix of '1066 & All That' & Horrible Histories. Unfortunately it just didn't work for me. I dipped in & out of it hoping it would keep my attention but when I got to 14% & couldn't face an more dipping I decided to give up. I know many have really enjoyed it but it just wasn't for me. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me try & read it!

This book tries to be an entertaining commentary on British history but do to the writing style I wasn't truly able to get into it and ended up DNFing it. It does have some snarky humor to it that some people will enjoy, but it wasn't good enough to make me continue.

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review,

This book felt like it slightly did not know what it wanted to be, would have coped better being a bit shorter per fact as it went on a bit too long for me.

First off, this is NOT, I repeat NOT a book for younger kids. Yes, it is hilarious, and brings a fresh approach to stodgy ol British history, BUT from words and situations, it is VERY much an ADULT book. But depending on your take on profanity, you may allow your older high school students to use it to brush up on their British history. Consider it more of a college age book, and handle appropiately.

But having said that, it is a different take on all things Studgy. Much like other You Tubers, who have brought boring history to us in snarkier fashion, he tells the stories in a different way that make you want to not only kee reading, but relay the tales to others! I do recommend reading the chapter on Medieval food to younger kids studying that part of history, as it might be a pretty big eye opener, and give them some new vocaubulary words to look up, just omit the profane ones, LOL. With chapter headings like "A Pig and a Locust Get into Serious Trouble with the Law", "A Man Carries a Pineapple Around Town" (the aforementioned foor section), and "An Alchemist Attempts to Fly:He Doesn't", you know you're in for lots of snark and humor, and that you'll want to read them all! A fun romp, I highly recommend this one for all history afficinados!

What an absolute Blast of a History Book , how I wish this is how we had been about when we were being taught History , if we had been I think many more of my class companions would have enjoyed the subject & embraced it far more . I have learnt new facts reading this laughed at the description of others , I am going to buy a copy of this for my eldest granddaughter who's 13 years old to read, as she like myself is a great fan of History & I think this book will fuel that love for the subject even more. #NetGalley,#GoodReads,#FB,#Instagram, #Amazon.co.uk,#<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/358a5cecda71b11036ec19d9f7bf5c96d13e2c55" width="80" height="80" alt="100 Book Reviews" title="100 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

Are you looking for a fun way to learn some history from Britain and Beyond? This is a great book, full of fun facts, some that will make you laugh out loud! I have fun learning new things about the history that I thought I new.

What a fun way to learn history. If you are a trivia addict. like I am, you will love this take on the unusual events behind history. A short, but entertaining read.
Thank you NetGalley for providing this copy. The opinion expressed here is solely my own.

Laugh and learn your way through 1,000 years of British history

I loved this book, I laughed and learned so much from it. It proves that history is so much more than a list of Kings and dates. While these place things in time they don’t give you the context of why things happened and the impact they had on people’s daily lives here and around the world.

Arran has an irreverant and honest approach to history. He pulls no punches with some of his views but gives a balanced view of the people and the historical events he describes. I learned an awful lot from this book about my country’s history and many famous names - warts and all.

There is plenty of scope for further volumes and I will definitely be seeking out more of his books. I hope Arran will continue to flesh out our history to help us all understand the past and how it impacts our present and future.

I was given this book from the author via netgalley only for the pleasure of reading and leaving an honest review should I choose to.

I would rate this as 4.5 stars. This was a look at our British History which was not only interesting but also amusing. The little comments from the author made me laugh at times as well as the little stories that aren’t well known from our history.
I loved the names of the chapters as they really did sum up the information in the chapter both brilliantly and amusingly.
This is definitely a book that you can dip in and out of and one that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in the history of Britain, even if you already think that you know a lot about it.
I would rate it 4.5 stars as sometimes I got a bit confused as some of the chapters in between the main timeline ones jumped about so sometimes I would think that I was further along in history than I was (for example I thought something happened around the industrial revolution but it became clear that it was actually around the time of Elizabeth I) but other than this, I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved the fact that over the busiest time of year I could just dip in and out of it and not lose the information that I had already read.
Arran Lomas has renewed the love I already had for history with this book!

Although the title and premise had me seriously excited, I did not make it far into this book before DNFing it.
I was wary from the introduction, which seemed to paint the British Empire in an unreasonably positive light. By the first chapter I was questioning the research that went into this, as information was being presented in a way that was at best incredibly misleading and at worst flat out incorrect. I was going to continuing reading and give it a fair go, but then I read other reviews saying that the first half of the book was stronger, and that once it got to the sections about the British Empire it got worse. While I don’t believe in vilifying without discussion, what I had read didn’t give me any sense that Lomas was in any way capable of treating the topic with the nuance needed, and therefore I’m not interested in reading it.

If you like a little humor thrown in with well researched history, this is a great choice! I loved the dry British humor that was weaved through the book. It made the writing seem more like a conversation you might have with a very intelligent but witty friend. It’s still got a lot of meat to it, so I wouldn’t quite recommend it for someone who doesn’t love history, but this was perfect for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book could use an editor and some structure. I tried to get into the writing style but it felt like I was reading the transcript of a youtube video. I think the concept and history are interesting, but I just couldn't continue reading this particular writing style.

Well, I like this book in theory! The bite-sized chunks of odd history are intriguing. I like the loose timeline that walks us through the past. The author's easy humor is-- wait, scratch that. I actually don't like the author's "humor" because it's just swear words and vulgarity in place of wit. It also feels forced, like there's a quota of one-liners per chapter that must be met. The jokes don't feel natural.

Further, though I enjoy these mini history lessons, I found that this book is hard to read straight through. I would much prefer to keep a copy of this as a coffee table book, something I can pick up, read a quick section of, and put down again until I'm hungry for more knowledge.

Stick a Flag in It is a great choice for history nerds, non-fiction-lovers, and potty-mouths alike.

I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. I thought it would be as informative as it was hilarious, but it didn't deliver on either account.

In the past, I haven't reviewed books that I haven't read. But, I have changed my mind. Firstly, I think that the fact that I couldn't finish a book is a valid criticism, and this is where we give feedback to the publisher. Secondly, I need to get my score up. I will not post this anywhere else but here. My rating will be based on what other people would think about this work.

I reached about 30%. I found that I couldn't get motivated to read this book. However, many people would love it.