The books are written by Terry Deary, Peter Hepplewhite, and Neil Tonge, and illustrated by Martin Brown, Mike Phillips, Philip Reeve, and Kate Sheppard.

[5] Terry Deary's involvement with the Horrible Histories series began with his background in drama college and subsequent work as an actor-teacher with the TIE company in Wales.

He transitioned into theatre direction and playwriting for children, some of which formed the basis for the later Horrible Histories book series.

Despite concerns about his historical knowledge, given he had already authored 50 children's novels, the publisher offered factual content to complement his humour.

"[8] Blitzed Brits, the fifth book in the series, coincided with the 50th anniversary of VE Day in 1995, unexpectedly reaching bestseller lists.

This saw 500 applicants answering questions and creating birthday card designs, culminating in a mock TV quiz show with Deary as the quizmaster.

Simultaneously, the live-action Horrible Histories television series emerged, leading to several books being reissued as show tie-ins.

His inclination to challenge authority encourages critical thinking and fosters open discussions, aligning with his unique approach to history and empowerment.

Direct second-person communication fosters a personal connection between the text and the reader, creating an engaging narrative style.

The series extends to encompass two-in-one volumes, boxed sets, special editions, handbooks, city guides, comic strips, annuals, novelty releases, and more.

Reports indicated that the decision stemmed from Deary exhausting his story ideas and the associated risk of launching new titles without guarantees of success.

The Czech version, known as Děsivé dějiny (Horrible History), not only translates the English content but also includes adaptations of the Polish sub-series.

This version incorporates titles specific to Czech history, authored by individuals such as Roman Ferstl and Martin Pitro.

[22][23][24][25][26] The series is hailed for its presentation, which combines historical accuracy with humor and multimedia elements, successfully targeting young audiences.

[27] Janet Allen highlights the series' effectiveness in conveying extensive historical information through a variety of engaging formats such as cartoons, graphs, narration, letters, and wanted posters.

Notably, the series is praised for transforming historical non-fiction into an enjoyable reading experience for young individuals, pioneering a new genre.

The books' playful and irreverent tone, coupled with their tactile approach to history, is celebrated for its appeal to young audiences.

[39] While the series' personalized writing style and visual components can hinder their effectiveness as read-aloud books, they are well-suited for independent reading.

[40] Judy Arnall, discussing the portrayal of violence in games and historical contexts, points out that children often encounter much more disturbing events in real-life scenarios than those depicted in the series.

The group highlighted a haggis recipe in the book that humorously referenced cooking the dish until it resembled a flattened hedgehog after lorries had run over it.

For instance, the books claim that Shakespeare fabricated the malicious deeds attributed to Richard III and portray Caligula as insane.

The book Woeful Second World War is the only one in Polish edition of the series to include afterword from the translator Małgorzata Fabianowska, pointing out several inaccuracies written by Deary in the original version.

The afterword disputes several of Deary's claims, including that Kresy (lost by Poland after Soviet invasion of 1939) belonged to the USSR 20 years prior, Auschwitz concentration camp only supplied IG-Farben with forced labour, or that British broke the Enigma machine.

[46] The use of non-linear structures in the books has raised concerns about potentially promoting shorter attention spans compared to longer narratives.

[48] Terry Deary consistently tops the list of most-borrowed non-fiction children's authors each year, based on Library Survey figures.