Editing 1066 and All That

{{Short description|1930 book by W. C. Sellar & R. J. Yeatman}}
{{Infobox book
| name          = 1066 and All That
| title_orig    = 1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England, Comprising All the Parts You Can Remember, Including 103 Good Things, 5 Bad Kings and 2 Genuine Dates
| translator    =
| image         = 1066AndAllThat.jpg
| caption = Later paperback edition (c. late 1960s)
| author        = [[W. C. Sellar]] and [[R. J. Yeatman]]
| illustrator   = John Reynolds; [[Steven Appleby]] (75th anniversary edition)
| cover_artist  =
| country       = United Kingdom
| language      = English
| series        =
| subject       =
| genre         = Parody
| publisher     = [[Methuen Publishing]]
| english_pub_date = October 16, 1930
| media_type    = Print
| pages         = 172
| isbn          = 978-0-413-77270-1
| oclc= 51486473
| preceded_by   =
| followed_by   = [[And Now All This]]
}}
'''''1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England, Comprising All the Parts You Can Remember, Including 103 Good Things, 5 Bad Kings and 2 Genuine Dates''''' is a [[tongue-in-cheek]] reworking of the history of England. Written by [[W. C. Sellar]] and [[R. J. Yeatman]] and illustrated by John Reynolds, it first appeared serially in [[Punch magazine|''Punch'']] magazine, and was published in book form by [[Methuen & Co. Ltd.]] in 1930.

==Setting and background==
[[Raphael Samuel]] saw ''1066 and All That'' as a product of the post-[[First World War]] debunking of British greatness, very much in the tradition of ''[[Eminent Victorians]]'' (1918):<ref>R Samuel, ''Island Stories'' (London 1999) p. 210</ref> as he put it, "that much underrated anti-imperialist tract ''1066 and All That'' punctured the more bombastic claims of drum-and-trumpet history".<ref>R Samuel, ''Island Stories'' (London 1999) p. 82</ref>

Both the Tory view of a 'great man' history, and the liberal pieties of [[Whig history]] are undermined in the work, in the (then contemporary) style of such serious historians as [[Namier]] and [[Herbert Butterfield]].<ref>R Samuel, ''Island Stories'' (London 1999) p. 209-11</ref> With its conflation of history and memory, and its deconstruction of "standard" historical narrative lines, the book can also be seen as an early [[Postmodernism|post-modernist]] text.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/books/speaking-volumes-wc-sellars-and-rj-yeatmans-1066-and-all-that/159911.article|title=Speaking Volumes: W.C. Sellar's and R.J. Yeatman's 1066 and All That|date=August 29, 1997|website=Times Higher Education (THE)}}</ref>

==Overview==
The book is a [[parody]] of the style of history teaching in English schools at the time, in particular of ''[[Our Island Story]]''.<ref name="auto">R Samuel, ''Island Stories'' (London 1999) p. 212</ref> It purports to contain "all the History you can remember", and, in sixty-two chapters, covers the history of England from [[Roman Britain|Roman times]] through [[Norman conquest of England|1066]] "and all that", up to the end of World War I, at which time "America was thus clearly Top Nation, and history came to a .". The book is full of examples of half-remembered and mixed-up facts.

Although the subtitle states that the book comprises "103 Good Things, 5 Bad Kings and 2 Genuine Dates", the book's preface mentions that originally four dates were planned, but last-minute research revealed that two of them were ''not memorable''. The two dates that are referenced in the book are 1066, the date of the [[Battle of Hastings]] and the [[Norman conquest of England]] (Chapter XI), and 55 BC, the date of the [[Caesar's invasions of Britain|first Roman invasion of Britain]] under [[Julius Caesar]] (Chapter I). However, when the date of the Roman invasion is given, it is immediately followed by the date that Caesar was "compelled to invade Britain again the following year (54 BC, not 56, owing to the peculiar Roman method of counting)". Despite the confusion of dates the Roman Conquest is the first of 103 historical events in the book characterised as a ''Good Thing'', "since the Britons were only natives at that time".

Chapter II begins "that long succession of Waves of which History is chiefly composed", the first of which, here, is composed of [[Ostrogoths]], [[Visigoths]], mere [[Goths]], [[Vandals]], and [[Huns]]. Later examples are the "Wave of Saints", who include the [[Bede|Venomous Bead]] (Chapter III); "Waves of Pretenders", usually divided into smaller waves of two: an [[James Francis Edward Stuart|Old Pretender]] and a [[Charles Edward Stuart|Young Pretender]] (Chapter XXX); plus the "Wave of Beards" in the [[Elizabethan era]] (Chapter XXXIII).

According to Sellar and Yeatman, in English history kings are either "Good" or "Bad". The first "Good King" is the confusingly differentiated [[King Arthur]]/[[Alfred the Great|Alfred]] (Chapter V). Bad kings include King [[John, King of England|John]], who when he came to the throne showed how much he deserved this epithet when he "lost his temper and flung himself on the floor, foaming at the mouth and biting the rushes" (Chapter XVIII). The death of [[Henry I of England|Henry I]] from "a surfeit of [[palfrey]]s" (recorded in other historical works as a "surfeit of [[lamprey]]s", Chapter XIII) proves to be a paradigmatic case of the deaths of later monarchs through a surfeit of over-eating or other causes (so, for example, in Chapter XVII, [[Richard the Lion Heart]] dies "of a surfeit of [[Saladin]]s"). Other ''memorable'' monarchs include the Split King ([[Henry IV, Part 1]] and [[Henry IV, Part 2]]) and [[Mary I of England|Broody Mary]].

''Memorable'' events in English history include the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries|Disillusion of the Monasteries]] (Chapter XXXI); the struggle between the [[Cavalier]]s (characterised as "Wrong but Wromantic") and the [[Roundhead]]s (characterised as "Right but Repulsive") in the [[English Civil War]] (Chapter XXXV); and [[Industrial Revolution|The Industrial Revelation]] (Chapter XLIX).

The book also contains five joke "Test Papers" interspersed among the chapters, which contain nonsense instructions including the famous "Do not on any account attempt to write on both sides of the paper at once" (Test Paper V),<ref name="auto"/> and "Do not attempt to answer more than one question at a time" (Test Paper I) and such unanswerable questions as "How far did the Lords Repellent drive [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] into the arms of [[Peter of Castile|Pedro the Cruel]]? (Protractors may not be used.)" (Test Paper II).

==Musical comedy==
In 1935, the [[musical comedy]] ''1066&nbsp;– and all that: A Musical Comedy based on that Memorable History by Sellar and Yeatman'' was produced. The book and lyrics were by [[Reginald Arkell]]; the music was composed by [[Alfred Reynolds (composer)|Alfred Reynolds]].<ref>{{cite ODNB |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/39442 |title=Sellar, Walter Carruthers|last=Summerson |first=Henry |year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/39442 |access-date=4 July 2022}}</ref> It was revived at the [[Palace Theatre, London]], in 1945.

==Works inspired by ''1066''==
''1066 and All That'' inspired [[Paul Manning (British writer)|Paul Manning]]'s ''1984 and All That'', dealing with the subsequent history of Britain and the rest of the world up to 1984, and written in the same style, with similar prose, illustrations and tests. ("What caused the [[Wall Street crash]]? Speculate wildly.") The title references [[George Orwell]]'s ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]''.

[[Ned Sherrin]] and Neil Shand wrote a sequel ''1956 and All That'',<ref>{{cite book|last=Sherrin|first=Ned|title=1956 And All That|year=1984|publisher=Michael Joseph Ltd|location=London|isbn=978-0718124793|page=144}}</ref> with the subtitle ''a memorable history of England since the war to end all wars (Two)''.

In 2005 [[Craig Brown (satirist)|Craig Brown]] released ''[[1966 and All That (book)|1966 and All That]]'', which copied the book's style (including elements like the end of chapter tests), recounting the remainder of the 20th century. In 2006 the book was [[1966 and All That (radio)|adapted for BBC Radio 4]] in four parts.

[[Richard Armour (poet)|Richard Armour]]'s book ''It All Started With Columbus'' (1953, revised 1961) treats the history of the United States, from 1492 to the presidency of [[John Fitzgerald Kennedy]], in a manner that owes a great deal to Sellar and Yeatman ("[[Ferdinand II of Aragon|Ferdinand]] and [[Isabella I of Castile|Isabella]] refused to believe the world was round, even when [[Christopher Columbus|Columbus]] showed them an [[Egg of Columbus|egg]]"). Acknowledging the debt, Armour dedicated his book to Sellar and Yeatman.

[[Dave Barry]]'s 1989 book ''[[Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States]]'' is another treatment of American history reminiscent of ''1066 and All That'', though Sellar and Yeatman are not acknowledged. ("The first major president to be elected after the [[War of 1812]] was President [[Monroe Doctrine]], who became famous by developing the policy for which he is named.")

[[Matthew Sturgis]]' book ''1992 and All This'' (Macmillan, 1991) is a "humorous look at Europe in preparation for 1992 when Britain officially becomes part of the Continent. Much of the humour focuses on the differences between the British and the Europeans."<ref>{{Cite book|title=1992 and all this|last=Sturgis|first=Matthew|date=1991|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=0333551060|location=London|oclc=28256663}}</ref>

==Works with titles inspired by ''1066''==
* The title was adapted by [[Raymond F. Streater]] and [[Arthur S. Wightman]] for their (serious) textbook on [[axiomatic quantum field theory]], ''[[PCT, Spin and Statistics, and All That]]''. This in turn influenced the titles of several other books, monographs, and papers on [[mathematical physics]]: as of November 2013, a search for "and all that" in the open collection of specialized scientific articles [[arXiv]] yields 25 such titles; MathSciNet ([[Mathematical Reviews]] online) lists 83 hits for corresponding mathematical papers. There is also an introductory vector calculus text by H. M. Schey called ''Div, Grad, Curl, and all that''.
* In an unconnected area of mathematics (Mathematical Logic), [[Franz Baader]] and Tobias Nipkow's 1998 "Term Rewriting and All That" was published by Cambridge University Press.
* The book ''3264 and All That: A Second Course in Algebraic Geometry'' by [[David Eisenbud]] and [[Joe Harris (mathematician)|Joe Harris]] mentions this book as the inspiration for its title.
* Australian cricketer and cartoonist [[Arthur Mailey]] had taken all 10 wickets for 66 runs in a first-class match during the 1921 tour of England, and hence titled his 1958 autobiography ''10 for 66 And All That''.
* Birkenhead band [[Half Man Half Biscuit]] featured a song entitled "1966 and All That" on their debut EP ''[[The Trumpton Riots]]''.  
* Welsh rock band [[Mclusky]] recorded the song "1956 and All That" for their third album ''[[The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire]]''.
* ''1089 and All That&nbsp;– A Journey into Mathematics'' is a popular mathematics book by [[David Acheson (mathematician)|David Acheson]].
* ''Amo, Amas, Amat... and All That: How to Become a Latin Lover'' by [[Harry Mount]] is a guide to (and celebration of) the [[Latin language]].
* In 1992, [[Robert Royal (author)|Robert Royal]] wrote ''1492 And All That: Political Manipulations of History.'' From the dust jacket: "Spurning the false idealism and bland caricatures of historical actors that distort the arguments of both sides, Robert Royal surveys the available facts and political positions about Columbus and his legacy and seeks to find the truth among them. His provocative analysis recommends a better-balanced reading of our past and a wise use of that base for determining our common future."
* In 2010/11, England won the Ashes series in Australia for the first time since 1986/87. Alastair Cook made 766 runs in that series. ''[[The Guardian]]'' published their over-by-over blog in a book and titled it ''766 and All That''.
*In 2025, the first lecture in the annual series of [[Ford Lectures]] in British History at the [[University of Oxford]] by Jocelyn Wogan-Browne was titled "“Alle mine thegenas … frencisce & englisce”: The Languages of 1066 – And All That".<ref>{{cite web |title="Alle mine thegenas … frencisce & englisce": The Languages of 1066 – And All That |url=https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/event/french-in-medieval-britain-alle-mine-thegenas-frencisce |website=Faculty of History, University of Oxford |access-date=21 January 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Columns-list|
* ''[[Blackadder]]''
* [[Flanders and Swann]]
* ''[[Horrible Histories (book series)|Horrible Histories]]''
* ''[[Monty Python]]''
* [[Nigel Molesworth]]
* [[Richmal Crompton]]
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book
 | title = 1066 and All That
 | author = [[W. C. Sellar]] and [[R. J. Yeatman]]
 | year = 2010
 | edition = 2010 new
 | publisher = [[Methuen & Co. Ltd.|Methuen]]
 | isbn = 978-0-413-77270-1
 }}
* {{cite book
 | title = And Now All This: Being Vol.I of The Hole Pocket Treasury of Absolutely General Knowledge
 | author = W. C. Sellar and R. J. Yeatman
 | year = 1932
 |edition=2004 reprint
 | publisher = [[Methuen & Co. Ltd.|Methuen]]
 | isbn = 0-413-77380-9
 }}

==Further reading==
* W. C. Purdue, [https://www.timeshighereducation.com/books/speaking-volumes-wc-sellars-and-rj-yeatmans-1066-and-all-that/159911.article "Speaking Volumes: W.C. Sellar's and R.J. Yeatman's 1066 and All That"], ''[[Times Higher Education|The Times Higher Education Supplement]]'', 29 August 1997. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
* Paul Manning, ''1984 and All That''. London: Futura, 1984. {{ISBN|0-7088-2612-1}}.

==External links==
* {{Wikiquote-inline}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1066 And All That}}
[[Category:1930 books]]
[[Category:1066 in England]]
[[Category:20th-century history books]]
[[Category:Books adapted into plays]]
[[Category:History books about the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Parody history books]]
[[Category:Methuen Publishing books]]
[[Category:Works originally published in Punch (magazine)]]
[[Category:1935 musicals]]
[[Category:British musicals]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Henry III of England]]
[[Category:Depictions of Julius Caesar in literature]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Alfred the Great]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of John, King of England]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Richard I of England]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Saladin]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Henry IV of England]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Mary I of England]]