Terry Deary was born at a very early age, so long ago he can’t remember. But his mother, who was there at the time, says he was born in Sunderland, north-east England, in 1946 – so it’s not true that he writes all Horrible Histories from memory. At school he was a horrible child only interested in playing football and giving teachers a hard time. His history lessons were so boring and so badly taught that he learned to loathe the subject. Horrible Histories is his revenge.

Deary (is) the most influential historian in Britain today Daily Telegraph

It’s not hard to see why schoolchildren prefer Horrible Histories to the National Curriculum. Terry Deary’s mischievous mix of humour, sadistic statistics and corny jokes, padded out by Martin Brown’s wry comic cartoons, has proved irresistible bedtime reading for millions since the first, Terrible Tudors, was published 12 years ago Katie Law, The Evening Standard

Terry Deary’s Websites

• www.terry-deary.com
• www.horrible-histories.co.uk