Win a signed copy of A Pointless History of the World!

The Team Xander Twitter account has an exciting competition starting today (29th September) to win a signed copy of A Pointless History of the World. Simply RT this tweet by 6pm on 6th October to enter.

RT by 6pm on 610 to win #APointlessHistoryoftheWorld, signed by @XanderArmstrong & @richardosman. Tnx @HodderBooks https://t.co/wrEkya1Idx

— Team Xander (@TeamXander1) September 29, 2016

Many thanks to Hodder Books for providing the advance copy, and to Xander and Richard for signing it.

A Pointless History of the World is out soon

The new Pointless book, A Pointless History of the World, comes out very soon - on  Thursday 6th October, in fact.

A Pointless History of the World is a complete[1] and meticulously researched[2] series of essays on our rich and glorious past. Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman, two of the world's foremost experts on Things Before Their Time[3] take you on a step-by-step journey through history.

From the Big Bang to the Fall of the Roman Empire, from the Ice Age to the Evolution of Language, from Henry VIII to Last of the Summer Wine: all of civilisation is here. A publishing first, this thoroughly comprehensive and highly ambitious quest through Time and Space is interspersed with questions for all the family from TV's most popular tea-time quiz show, Pointless. This is Alexander and Richard's biggest book yet.

The book no historian can afford to be without[4], it comes complete with introduction and footnotes[5].

[1] Highly selective
[2] Largely cobbled together from what we can remember from school
[3] That's not even a thing
[4] Under no circumstances to be used for reference
[5] Um...

This is the Amazon link. Other retailers etc etc.

Pointless History Signings

Xander and Richard's new book, A Pointless History of the World, comes out on 6th October, and the boys will be doing some signings.

I'll add dates and details as I get them.

Date	Time	Location	Further details
6/10/16	7.30pm	Chorleywood	Chiltern Bookshops
7/10/16	1pm	City of London	Waterstones
7/10/16	7.30pm	Cambridge	Heffers Bookshop
11/10/16	8.30pm	Cheltenham	Cheltenham Literary Festival

Xander and Richard at the Cheltenham Literature Festival

Date, time, and booking information for Xander and Richard's appearance at the Cheltenham Literature Festival have now been confirmed. 

They'll be promoting A Pointless History of the World on Tuesday 11th October at 8.30pm. Tickets are on sale to festival members from 31st August, and to the general public from 7th September. This event normally sells out very quickly, so I recommend you buy your tickets early.

As if you weren't already tempted, here's the event description:

Presenters, comedians and Pointless quiz masters extraordinaire Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman romp through A Pointless History of the World. They pull out some of the most pointless, hilarious and interesting events – from the obvious to the most obscure. If you have a hunger for little-known facts then this is the event for you!

Sounds great, right?

A Pointless History of the World: more details!

Publishers Hodder & Stoughton have released the 'blurb' for A Pointless History of the World, the next Pointless tie-in book, which will be published on 6th October.

Delve into the world of Pointless, the huge ratings-winning hit BBC One quiz show, with this brilliant romp through the history of the world.

A Pointless History of the World is a complete[1] and meticulously researched[2] series of essays on our rich and glorious past. Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman, two of the world's foremost experts on Things Before Their Time[3] take you on a step-by-step journey through history.

From the Big Bang to the Fall of the Roman Empire, from the Ice Age to the Evolution of Language, from Henry VIII to Last of the Summer Wine: all of civilisation is here. A publishing first, this thoroughly comprehensive and highly ambitious quest through Time and Space is interspersed with questions for all the family from TV's most popular tea-time quiz show, Pointless. This is Alexander and Richard's biggest book yet.

The book no historian can afford to be without[4], it comes complete with introduction and footnotes[5].

[1] Highly selective
[2] Largely cobbled together from what we can remember from school
[3] That's not even a thing
[4] Under no circumstances to be used for reference
[5] Um...

Sounds excellent, and the ideal Christmas present for any Pointless fan. Except, possibly, any Pointless fan with an upcoming history exam. A Pointless History of the World can be pre-ordered from all usual outlets.

Cheltenham Literary Festival

Superb news - Xander and Richard will be back at the Cheltenham Literary Festival this year, presenting A Pointless History of the World as part of the festival's History strand!

The festival, running from October 7th-16th, transforms lovely Cheltenham into a book-lover's paradise, with over 600 of the world’s finest writers, actors, politicians, poets and leading opinion formers celebrating the joy of the written and spoken word. So very worth a visit.

Upon A Different Shore

Exciting news! Xander and Richard were on Good Morning Britain the other day. That in itself isn't the most exciting bit, though. Watch for yourself and see if you can spot it.

Yes, of course, it's Xander starting work on a new album, titled Upon A Different Shore. He started on Friday 24th June, and will finish at the end of July. The album's due for release in November. How exciting!

I also can't resist sharing this picture with you. Xander and Richard were doing some book signings, and this little boy Did Not Want To Be There.

A-Z of Pointless tour

June 22nd is a momentous day. It's both the middle of Independent Bookshop Week and publication day for the paperback of the A-Z of Pointless, the most recent Pointless tie-in book.

To mark the occasion, Xander and Richard are going on a whistle-stop tour, starting in the Cotswolds and gradually homing in on London. Their programme is below. Do try to catch up with them if you can.

Jaffe & Neale, Chipping Norton: 11am-noon - Signing
Hungerford Bookshop 1.30-2.30pm - Signing
Chapter One Bookshop, Woodley 3.30-4.30pm - Signing
Foyles, Charing Cross Road, London: 7-8.30pn  - Interview, Q&A, signing

A Pointless evening with Xander and Richard

Foyle's Bookshop, in Charing Cross Road, London, is hosting A Pointless Evening with Richard Osman and Alexander Armstrong on Wednesday 22nd June, to mark both Independent Bookshops Week and the most recent Pointless book, The A-Z of Pointless, coming out in paperback.

Following an in-depth chat about the show, Xander and Richard will answer questions posed both live and via Twitter. The event will be followed by a book signing.

Tickets are £5 each, or £10 including a copy of the book, and can be pre-booked.here.

A Pointless History of the World: cover reveal

The next Pointless tie-in book, A Pointless History of the World, will be published on 6th October. The cover has just been revealed and follows very much in the style of the previous four.

I note, however, that they've designed the cover carefully to avoid poor Richard being stickered into oblivion again. Probably for the best.

You can pre-order A Pointless History of the World on Amazon (and, of course, at all other outlets).

Land of the Midnight Paperback

You may remember Xander's excellent TV series, Land of the Midnight Sun. If not,  I recommend finding someone who still has it recorded (as it's sadly not been issued on DVD)....I'll put the kettle on.

The series was accompanied by a book, which as well as talking about the places visited gave fascinating background about the process of  making television. It's witty and informative.

Well now, finally, the book is out in paperback, amusing cover and all. Probably worth shopping around for price, as the hardback is down to around £9 at most places online now.