Maxwell's History of the World in 366 Lessons

Book excerpt: Peter Maxwell is the History teacher you wish you’d had. If you meet anyone (and you will) who says ‘I hate History. It’s boring,’ they weren’t taught by Mad Max. Many of you will know him as the crime-solving sleuth (along with his police-person wife, Jacquie) in the Maxwell series by M.J. Trow (along with his non-policeperson wife, Carol, aka Maryanne Coleman – uncredited!) but what he is paid to do is teach History. And to that end has brought – and continues to bring – culture to thousands. In his ‘blog’ (Dinosaur Maxwell doesn’t really know what that is) written in 2012, the year in which the world was supposed to end, but mysteriously didn’t, you will find all sorts of fascinating factoids about the only important subject on the school curriculum. So, if you weren’t lucky enough to be taught by Max, or you’ve forgotten all the History you ever knew, here is your chance to play catch-up. The ‘blog’ has been edited by Maxwell’s friend, the crime writer M.J. Trow, who writes almost as though he knows what the Great Man was thinking. As Maxwell himself has been known to say – Spooky!