A History of the World in 22 Traitors

An engaging and accessible global history told through the lens of 22 of the most notorious traitors

THE PERFECT HISTORY GIFT FOR FANS OF THE HIT TV SHOW, THE TRAITORS!

Discover a history of the world as you’ve never seen it before in this fun and accessible global history told through the lens of 22 of the most notorious traitors – from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Dad’s Army and The Secret Life of Bletchley Park.

History is filled with traitors, from medieval pretenders to thrones to Nazi sympathisers, legends of antiquity to fables of the Old Testament — and we've long been darkly fascinated by the machinations behind their treachery.

In 22 bite-sized chapters, Sunday Times bestselling author Sinclair McKay delves deep into the treason and scandal, and explores the role of traitors in shaping our history, mythology, and literature. We meet some of the most infamous defectors and disgraced collaborators, from those whose names became bywords for treachery, like Benedict Arnold and Vidkun Quisling, to fictional traitors, like Sir Lancelot and Guinevere, and the Macbeths.

Through vivid storytelling and examples from ancient civilisations to the modern day, McKay details some of the most brazen betrayals, murderous acts and shocking duplicity. And, by examining some of history’s toughest moral and ethical dilemmas, he shows us that the line between treachery and faithfulness can sometimes be needle-thin . . .