Horrible Histories Books in Order
Terry Deary has written 137 Horrible Histories books, published between 1993 and 2026: 101 in the 4 main-line series and 36 related titles. The first book is Terrible Tudors (1993) and the newest main-line book is Football (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 137
- Published
- 1993–2026
- Confirmed
- 70 of 137 titles
- Pages on record
- 5,904 in 52 of 137 books
Horrible Histories is Terry Deary's history series for children, which teaches the past through its grisliest details. Terrible Tudors and Awesome Egyptians opened the run in 1993, and Rotten Romans, Vicious Vikings, Groovy Greeks, The Vile Victorians and The Measly Middle Ages follow, alongside Gruesome Guides, Gory Stories, handbooks and novelty titles. British and world history, kings and rulers and juvenile humour run through 137 catalogued books, which reach 2026.
How many Horrible Histories books are there?
Horrible Histories has 137 books, released between 1993 and 2026. 101 of them belong to the 4 main-line series (Horrible Histories, Horrible Histories Specials, Horrible Histories Gory Stories and others), and 36 related titles sit outside it: non-fiction and companion books.
Horrible Histories Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 137 Horrible Histories books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119931443/4
- 219931443/4
- 319941283/4
- 419941443/4
- 51994–3/4
- 619952102/4
- 719951443/4
- 81996–2/4
- 91996–2/4
- 1019961283/4
- 111996–3/4
- 121996163/4
- 1319971762/4
- 1419971283/4
- 151997–3/4
- 161998–3/4
- 171999952/4
- 181999982/4
- 191999–2/4
- 201999–3/4
- 211999–3/4
- 22The Gorgeous Georgians and the Vile VictoriansHorrible Histories #151999 · 256 pages · confirmed 3/419992563/4
- 232000–2/4
- 2420001003/4
- 2520001283/4
- 262000–3/4
- 2720011922/4
- 2820011002/4
- 2920021762/4
- 302002–3/4
- 3120021003/4
- 322002–3/4
- 3320031283/4
- 3420031443/4
- 352003933/4
- 362004122/4
- 372004–2/4
- 3820041283/4
- 3920041393/4
- 4020041283/4
- 4120041443/4
- 422004243/4
- 432004123/4
- 442004243/4
- 4520041443/4
- 462004243/4
- 472004123/4
- 482004–3/4
- 492004–3/4
- 502004–3/4
- 5120051762/4
- 522005–3/4
- 532005243/4
- 542005123/4
- 552006962/4
- 562006962/4
- 572006962/4
- 582007–2/4
- 592007962/4
- 602007–2/4
- 612008–2/4
- 622008–2/4
- 632008–2/4
- 642008–2/4
- 652008–2/4
- 662008–2/4
- 672009–2/4
- 682009–2/4
- 692009–2/4
- 702009–2/4
- 712009–2/4
- 722009–2/4
- 732009–3/4
- 742009–3/4
- 752009–3/4
- 762009–3/4
- 772010962/4
- 782010–2/4
- 792010–2/4
- 802010–2/4
- 812010–2/4
- 822010612/4
- 832010–2/4
- 842010–2/4
- 852010–2/4
- 862010–2/4
- 872010962/4
- 882010–2/4
- 892010–2/4
- 902010–2/4
- 912010–3/4
- 922010–3/4
- 9320101443/4
- 942011612/4
- 952011962/4
- 962011–3/4
- 972011–3/4
- 982012–2/4
- 99Horrible Histories Gruesome Guides: EdinburghHorrible Histories (Non-Fiction) #82012 · confirmed 2/42012–2/4
- 1002012–2/4
- 1012012–3/4
- 1022013–2/4
- 1032013–2/4
- 1042013–3/4
- 10520141593/4
- 1062015–2/4
- 1072015–3/4
- 1082015–3/4
- 1092015–3/4
- 1102016–3/4
- 11120161763/4
- 11220163043/4
- 11320161443/4
- 11420171763/4
- 1152017–2/4
- 1162018322/4
- 1172018–3/4
- 1182020–2/4
- 1192021–3/4
- 1202021–3/4
- 1212021–3/4
- 1222022–2/4
- 1232022–2/4
- 1242022–3/4
- 1252022–2/4
- 1262023–2/4
- 1272023–2/4
- 1282023–2/4
- 1292024–2/4
- 1302024–3/4
- 1312024–2/4
- 1322024–2/4
- 1332025–3/4
- 1342025–3/4
- 1352025–2/4
- 1362025–3/4
- 1372026–3/4
Horrible Histories Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the books of the 4 main-line series run from Terrible Tudors (1993) to Football (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Horrible Histories in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Horrible Histories books in order?
You should read the 4 main-line series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 36 related titles (non-fiction and companion books) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Horrible Histories book also stands alone.
Where to start with Horrible Histories
Start with Terrible Tudors (1993), the earliest published book in the 4 main-line series.
What is the newest Horrible Histories book?
Football (2026) is the newest book in the 4 main-line series.
Is there a new Horrible Histories book coming?
No next Horrible Histories book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Horrible Histories at a glance
- Still running
- Horrible Histories is still running, with a main-line title published as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Horrible Histories books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 5,904 pages across the 52 of 137 books with a recorded length, a median of 128 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Horrible Histories books, 54 of 137, were published in the 2000s.
What the Horrible Histories books are about
66 of the 137 Horrible Histories books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: juvenile literature is tagged on 34 of 66. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Juvenile literature 34 of 66 books
- History 30 of 66 books
- Great britain, history, juvenile literature 17 of 66 books
- Great Britain, history 9 of 66 books
- World history 9 of 66 books
- Miscellanea 6 of 66 books
- Kings and rulers 5 of 66 books
- World history, juvenile literature 5 of 66 books
- Great Britain, social life and customs 4 of 66 books
- Child and youth non-fiction 3 of 66 books
- Egypt, civilization 3 of 66 books
- Egypt, juvenile literature 3 of 66 books
More books by Terry Deary
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Terry Deary books in order 340 books
Series that include Horrible Histories books
Each series linked below has its own reading-order page.