By Greg Jenner, illustrated by Jenny Taylor,
paperback £10.99, children’s non-fiction/reference
(reviewed by Clare)

A history book with a difference: Rather than Kings and Queens or wars and battles it takes the evolution of everyday objects as our guide to the past. Author Greg Jenner (the host of comedy history podcast You’re Dead to Me) worked on Horrible Histories and that signature blend of the silly with the educational is captured in this book. It’s packed with fun illustrations and fantastic facts to impress your friends with.

For example, when it comes to the humble pillow, did you know that in medieval China and Korea pillows were made from porcelain and were hollow in the middle so they could be filled with warm water in the winter and cold water in the summer?

Or that way before Minecraft or even Pac Man, American nuclear physicist Edward Condon built the first games machine in 1940?
Or that Tutankhamun was buried with 145 spare pairs of pants.