History, Etc

One sunny Friday afternoon, twenty-some years ago, I got an email that asked me to make a decision. In hindsight, it feels like a pivotal life moment. I was working shifts on a newspaper by day. By night I was trying to write the outline for my first history book, which was going to be about the Peasants’ Revolt. It was tough going. I couldn’t get the outline right, and I had planned to take the weekend to leave London, hole up in the countryside with no distractions and finish it.

In the spring of 878AD Alfred, king of the West Saxons, led a little band of men to one of the most magnificent victories of his age. For many years, Danish Vikings had been raiding deep into the kingdoms of England, terrorising the people on land and at sea. In 878, however, Alfred made a stand, and at the battle of Edington (today in Wiltshire), he stopped a band of Viking leaders under a warlord named Guthrum in their tracks.

The sun is shining in the UK right now. So we went and made some historical hats. You can buy them. We have: RICHARD III ANNE BOLEYN HENRY V I’m calling this collection Legends 1.0, and if you all enjoy them, there will be more legends to follow. There are 100 of each design available, and when they’re gone… they’re gone! Enjoy! Dan x PS who else would you like to see on (or in) History, Etc merch? Let me know below…

I was in Berlin this week to watch a rock show. But you can’t (or shouldn’t) go to Berlin without diving into the art galleries and museums. This is a piece about what I saw at the Bode-Museum, which for my money has one of the best medieval collections in the world. But it’s also a reflection on some of the things I learned from writing historical fiction. That’s timely, because Lion Hearts, the third instalment of my Essex Dogs, comes out in UK paperback next week. You can pick it up here.

Brilliant history books deserve to be beautiful. That’s the idea behind Millennia Books, a publishing company started by the team who created The Broken Binding, which is dedicated to making stunning special editions of history books, available for delivery all over the world. Millennia Books recently published a fine special edition of The Plantagenets.

This autumn I’ll be on the road - a lot. Which is exciting! The UK dates for CASTLES are in September and October. Still to be announced are North American dates - which will be in November. Those are coming soon. The easiest way to book tickets is via this link. ****In the meantime, you can still bid in the charity auction to go out for lunch. I’m buying and you can bring along two friends. The auction page is here.**** As usual, you can enjoy a talk, a signing, the chance to take photos, etc etc.

History, Etc: The First Draft Extra content delivered each week to the History, Etc Substack community. With Q&As, interviews and shout-outs from Dan. Extra content delivered each week to the History, Etc Substack community. With Q&As, interviews and shout-outs from Dan.

As the old joke goes, I don’t talk about my charity work, but…. I’m a prize in an auction organised by the UK-based charity Beauty Banks. Bid now and you can have lunch with me, along with two or your guests. It’ll be in London (unless by some special arrangement we can figure it out elsewhere), and it’s on me. The auction is now live - you can click here to enter. Fun! Dan

It’s not very long now till my new book, Castles: A Fortified History of the World, comes out. (For those who pre-order - UK edition here and US edition here.) So I thought I’d start a new series of posts about the best castles to visit. The book ranges across the world, from Britain to Japan and Scandinavia to South Carolina. But I’m going to begin the series at home, in England. If you’re planning a trip this summer, these are five of the English castles I think are most worth your time.

My new book, Castles, comes out this autumn. Preorders are already open in the UK and the US. Very excitingly, the first tour dates are released today - for a run of UK theatre shows organised by the How To Academy. Watch here for more dates and festivals to be announced soon - including a tour of the US and Canada. See you there! Dan x