In the vein of his Fin Vs History podcast

Fin Taylor has written a book inspired by his hit Fin Vs History podcast.

The History Of Mankind In Its Entirety (Abridged) – subtitled ‘an unsupervised PhD’ – promises a ‘radical reappraisal of human history’.

‘It's time for a brave anti-intellectual to meet the intellectuals head on,’ says the blurb from publishers Bantam. ‘Because what is history but entertainment for middle-aged men looking to escape the drudgery of their own domesticity?’

The publisher has previously put out Al Murray’s more scholarly account of The Battle of Arnhem, Black Tuesday.

However, like the podcast Taylor co-hosts with  fellow stand-up Horatio Gould, this title takes a less reverent approach to its subject, asking questions such as: ‘Maybe the Battle of Hastings is just inspiration for the Francosphere's largest tea towel? Is the Renaissance significant or was it just Italians learning how to draw?’

The book will be published on September 10, the day after Taylor launches his latest stand-up tour, The Pre-Emptive Comeback Special at Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn. (Fin Taylor tour dates)

Fin Taylor - The History Of Mankind In Its Entirety (Abridged): An Unsupervised PHD  is available from Amazon priced £22 in hardback – or from uk.bookshop.org, below, which supports independent bookstores.  

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Published: 19 May 2026