Badass (book)

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.
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 not supposed to, but... actually learning something."

Content

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:

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. Steven Belledin provided cover art for the book.