Head of Zeus scoops Dan Jones' standalone biography of Henry V

Head of Zeus has snapped up a standalone biography of Henry V by medieval writer, historian and broadcaster Dan Jones.

Non-fiction publisher Richard Milbank acquired UK, Commonwealth and translation rights for Henry V from Georgina Capel Associates, for Head of Zeus’ Apollo imprint, and the book will be published in hardback, e-book and audio — which will be read by the author — in September 2024.

"For Dan Jones, Henry V is one of the most intriguing characters in all medieval history, but also one of the hardest to pin down: a hardened warrior, who was also creative, bookish and artistic; a leader who made many mistakes, yet always triumphed when it mattered," the synopsis says. "Both standalone biography and a completion of Dan’s sequence of English medieval histories that began with The Plantagenets (William Collins) and The Hollow Crown (Faber), Henry V is a thrilling and unmissable life of England’s greatest king from our bestselling medieval historian."

Jones commented: "This is a biography I have been waiting many years to write. Henry V was considered the pinnacle and paragon of medieval kingship in his own time — and for centuries thereafter. Henry was a man of many parts — not all of which he wished the world to see. I am fascinated by his long apprenticeship, his many brushes with death and his rare ability, as king, to force his will onto his world. As a study of leadership in a time of crisis, his story seems especially meaningful right now."

Milbank added: "Dan is a writer in the form of his life, and I am delighted and honoured to be publishing his first foray into biography. The verve and excitement of his writing, allied to impeccable scholarship, promises a life of Henry V that transports the reader to the racing heart of the medieval battlefield."