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Badass: A Relentless Onslaught of the Toughest Warlords, Vikings, Samurai, Pirates, Gunfighters, and Military Commanders to Ever Live, also known as Badass: The Book, is a history and biography book. It is the debut book of Ben Thompson, owner of the website Badass of The Week.
 | |
| Author | Ben Thompson |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | historical figures biography |
| Genre | history, humor |
Publication date | October 27, 2009 |
| Pages | 352 |
| ISBN | 0-06-174944-3 |
The book focuses on historical figures considered to be badass: having exceptional toughness, aggressiveness, battle skills and/or resilience, and have a significant achievement or impact on history. Thompson has stated in an interview that he intended to convey history in the language of youth, so that they feel like "reading something [they're] not supposed to, but ... actually learning something."[1]
Content edit
The book has 40 historical figures organized in chronological order through four major time periods: Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Age of Gunpowder, and the Modern Era. Some of the figures are:
- Ramesses II
- Leonidas
- Xenophon
- Alexander the Great
- Chandragupta Maurya
- Emperor Gaozu
- Julius Caesar
- Surena
- Julia Agrippina
- Alaric I
- Khalid bin Walid
- Charles Martel
- Ulf the Quarrelsome
- William the Conqueror
- Harald Hardrada
- Tomoe Gozen
- Genghis Khan
- Vlad the Impaler
- Miyamoto Musashi
- Blackbeard
- Anne Bonny
- Peter Francisco
- Horatio Nelson
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Agustina of Aragon
- Bass Reeves
- Nikola Tesla
- Manfred Von Richthofen
- Henry Johnson (World War I soldier)
- Eliot Ness
- Irina Sebrova
- Jack Churchill
- General George S. Patton
- Carlos Hathcock
- Bruce Lee
- Yonatan Netanyahu
There are also additional features such as a list of "Badass Marines" and a feature on "Awesome Things You Can Shoot Out of a Catapult." The illustrations are done by several artists that have done work for Wizards of the Coast, White Wolf, and DC Comics.[2] Steven Belledin provided cover art for the book.[3]
References edit
- ^ Seattle 'Badass' author answers some questions, The Seattle Times, (December 4, 2009), Retrieved on 2010-05-29
- ^ BADASS by Ben Thompson: FAQ, Retrieved on 2010-05-29
- ^ Rahner, Mark (2009-12-14). "'Badass' is not your parents' history book". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2023-09-04 – via Newspapers.com.