Our October non-fiction choice is There Was An Old Geezer Called Caesar by Mick Twister. Post your own limerick and you could win £100 of Anova books

[RebeccaSMumsnet]

Mick Twister has been tweeting the daily news in limerick form for the past three years. And now he's reflected the whole of human history in 100 limericks.

There Was An Old Geezer Called Caesar is a wonderfully witty book covering everything from the Big Bang to Cleopatra, Einstein, the invention of the atom bomb and many more.

With each page containing a catchy limerick and short description of the historical events, this brilliantly entertaining book is an ideal way to brush up on those things you feel you ought to know.

As well as giving away 50 copies of the book we're also running a competition to find the best limerick about Mumsnet starting with the line:

A website frequented by mums...

The finest limerick will net its author a brilliant bundle of books from Anova Books Group, including crafts, cooking and children's books, worth £100.

Apply for a copy and post your limerick on the discussion thread and we'll announce the winner at the end of October.

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• you need never twiddle your thumbs biscuits and beakers AIBU and eurekas are the nitty-gritty of the forums

A website frequented by mums
is riddled with weird acronums
EWCM, SWOI, JFGI,
VBAC, WAHN, and MMTI
are the formulae of the forums

OK enough for now!

sorry....a typo in that last one!

A website frequented by mums
is riddled with weird acronums
EWCM, SWOI, JFGI,
VBAC, WAHM, and MMTI
are the formulae of the forums

A website frequented by Mums,
For advice on their daughters and sons.
A fun interlude,
And sometimes a bit rude,
But always a great place to come!

Just received my copy of the book, thank you!!!!. Had a bit of a flick through already and it looks great. Cant wait to put the kids to bed later, make myself a large coffee and have a good read!!.

ditto - thank you very much! It looks great and I'm sure the whole family will enjoy it - not just me....(something so addictive about limericks! )

A web site frequented by mums,
MN welcomes whoever comes.
From the bold to the brave,
Just bookmark and save,
For comps, freebies, chats and forums.

A website frequented by mums
Users in the past sat by their pc, resting their bums
But then along can an app
And now on the move they can go tap tap tap tap
They now are wearing down their thumbs!

Also I would like to say that my book came today. DD1 is at home today due to the NUT strike and has started on it. It is making her laugh (and ask a lot of questions!) I've only had a quick glance at it, but I like the way we'll all (I say all as I think the whole family will use it) learn some history, be amused by the bite sized chunks. Perfect. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

My copy has arrived too - thank you very much! I have read the first few, and am chortling already - such a clever idea. I'll be back to share thoughts when I've read it properly.

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Thank you for the lovely book. Beautifully put together. Really entertaining and excellent just to dip into when you have a short break or poor concentration.

Thank you for the book, it was a nice surprise this morning.

Its not really a read it right thro book but I've dipped in and out during eth day. I like it. Its an amusing flit through history. The book looks beautiful, DS commented on the cover straight away. Its looks classy.

This is the kind of book I would give my dad for Christmas. and he would then amuse himself on boxing day by reading bits out, getting embarrassed when he realised that he had a rude ending coming up.

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They have a laugh and a giggle
And sometimes they niggle
It's better than twiddling their thumbs

Mine arrived today! First glance looks very funny and learned and I can spot it as a brilliant Christmas present for my history grad SIL. Will post more on closer perusal.

Posting my review of it now (hope this is the right place?):

It's a lovely little book, printed and bound to a high standard, with very nicely decorated cover boards (a world map in pale blue and yellow, with the white title letters in relief). It's quite small, so pleasantly easy to handle/pick up and put down. Priced at £7.99, I'd say it's worth it.

Mick Twister has made his focus 'A History of the World in 100 Limericks'; but as he himself is the first to admit, 'Trying to reflect the history of the world in 100 limericks is an absurd task....'. So he has understandably confined himself to the topics for which he can get a 'decent rhyme (never mind and indecent one, which is always preferable)' . He's focused on the great personalities of history, mainly, so while it starts with The Big Bang, dinosaurs ('Theyneversaurus') and the cave painters of Lascaux, for example, it soon focuses on prominent individuals and their idiosyncrasies.

Each limerick has a title which is just as carefully-considered and witty as the limerick itself (eg: the one on Cleopatra's entitled 'Mine's a Snakebite' ). Hitler's, highlights the fact that he probably had only one testicle.... ('A Lack in the Sack'..) Next to each limerick however are one or two very interesting (and more serious) paragraphs about the subject, which provide useful snippets of real historical information to balance out the amusing but possibly more superficial limerick content. So it has an educational aspect too! which is very easily read and assimilated in this witty form. As suggested above, I think it would be perfect for reading out aloud after Christmas lunch, for example - (it might even spur some into writing their own, competing to do the best one about X, Y or Z etc...) - excellent for a little light entertainment. Clearly, then, a recommendation!

Yesterday this book of history in limericks arrived
At first it seemed a trifle contrived
But on further viewing
it was well and wittily amusing
and showed how/why humankind has survived!

A lovely little book (although a different subject matter it reminded me of that classic 1980s tome: The Book of Heroic Failures) which I'm sure will fill many a Christmas stocking. In fact, call me a tight-wad, but this copy (lightly perused by me) will be finding its way into DS's Christmas stocking - he loves history and this is light-hearted and off-the-wall enough to appeal to a teen boy or indeed anyone with a love of history/witticisms or both!

And another go at the limerick...

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is not where you'd expect to think, "Crumbs!"
but along with friend-seekers
one can also find 'beakers'...
So you'd best rush down to the for-ums.

(Excuse scansion in the last line. )

PS I didn't get a free book. Not huffy or anything.

Thanks for the entertaining book received last week which makes an enjoyable read. Not really suitable for young children but would make a good gift for an older child or adult and is a good compact size. Very clever in the way history is linked to the limericks. Brings back memories of schooldays when I spent many hours writing limericks, some of which were quite dreadful. We had one teacher in particular who was keen on the class writing them. I have also described the book in a limerick :-

There is a great writer called Mick
Whose limericks are witty and slick
Of history he writes
And his stories delight
many people from New York to Wick

This is a fun read. I like the way that one Limerick leads up to the next, so that you do get a sense of continuity through history. The limericks are pretty learned, as are the glosses underneath and it does go into the lesser known but essential byways of history - such as the Haitian Revolution and Mary Wollstonecraft. This does not surprise me as I noticed in the acknowledgements that he comes from a most excellent historical lineage, with his mother being a great feminist historian from below. He must have grown up steeped in historical banter. There is a tendency in the book to bring out the saucy side...Hitler and one ball rather than his concentration camps, for example. I suppose the limerick form induces a certain levity. But it is a delightful read and a great Christmas present for the history buffs in your family.

This is a brilliant book, fun and information at the same time. Thanks.

Thanks for the book.

I was particularly excited to receive this book as I teach history so it was right up my street!

On first glance the cover looked very inviting and the title certainty grips the casual observer and makes them want to take a look. The colour scheme on the cover would help it to stand out on a table amongst other books in a bookshop. When opening the book it reminded me of the poems in the horrible histories series of books.

the contents list was fun to browse through, especially looking for more obscure people and events. I was less interested in looking up 'everyday' characters such as Shakespeare. the explanations underneath each limerick were just about the right length for the casual reader. the language used was accessible for a large audience and I loved the quirky facts, such as the origin of the word 'bugger.' I also liked that the limericks were not completely anglo-centric.

Even better if...

There were more illustrations.
if the historical date or reference to a timeline was included more clearly on the same page as the limerick.

Overall, I would recommend this book as a present for someone who already has an interest in history. Perhaps as a secret santa or stocking present. Students would find this quirky and fun perhaps. The price was reasonable for the amount of content, something that is not always the case with this genre.

Please excuse any errors of spelling and grammar, there is a velcro baby attached to me!

I received the book to review. It is a lovely little book - ideal as a gift. (in fact I had it in mind to give it to my son who loves history after I ready it - but the language isn't so appropriate for a child so I think i'll keep it myself after all).

I found myself enjoying the limericks and also I enjoyed reading the little snippets of extra information given on each topic too. I think I learnt some new things by reading it!

It is such a fun idea to do the whole book as a series of limericks - as I mentioned, ideal as a gift that someone would love to receive.

Very unisex too - so I think both men and women would enjoy reading it.

You don't have to be 'into' history or limericks to enjoy this book - it makes a fun read for anyone!

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