Stilton Literary Agency

Nominated to the prestigious Brage Prize 2026 and also awarded with The Riksmål Society Literature Prize 2026!

Join us in a time travel back to Ancient Rome!

A place where everyone is obsessed with chariot races, fish sauce, and very straight roads. How did a small group of Italians manage to build one of the largest empires in the world?

In this book, you can read about the coolest parts of this remarkable history. About gladiator fights in the Colosseum. About the sacred hens the Romans brought with them on military campaigns. About the alphabet and the calendar the Romans developed and that we still use today. About Caesar and Cleopatra, who became lovers and powerful allies. About grumpy gods, mad emperors, and slave uprises.
And if you think it sounds silly that Hannibal brought 37 elephants across the Alps, you’re not alone. Even back then, people argued about whether it was true or not.

Martin Aas was shortlisted for the Brage Prize for best children’s book Non-Fiction for his previous title, The coolest stuff from The Viking Age — the new book, The coolest stuff from Ancient Rome is just as ambititous and well researched as the first title was.

Foreign rights

Turbine, Denmark

With «The Coolest Stuff from the Ancient Rome» Martin Aas has created a formidable comic book for young readers, according to Riksmålsforbundets jury for the Children’s and Young Adult Book Award. «The book is packed with factual information, myths and amusing explanations of terms. Through vibrant illustrations and an engaging narrative style, Aas manages to make the past exciting for both children and young adults. He also draws connections to our own time, demonstrating the importance of the past to the present. This is excellent historical storytelling,» says the jury.
Riksmålsprisen

The author draws readers into 2,500 years of history—and makes it surprisingly difficult to put the book down. The comics and illustrations are humorous, featuring youthful, modern language, while also making complex figures and facts easier to grasp. Combined with thorough text and bonus content, the history is presented on the terms of young people, without ever underestimating the readers. Aas provides an accessible entry point into the Roman Empire. By drawing parallels to Norway, he makes the history feel both closer to home and more relevant.
Brageprisen, jury's announcement

Other titles

The Coolest Stuff from the Viking Age (2022)