Occupation:
Primary: Chartered Biologist
Secondary: Author, Lecturer and Broadcaster
Birth Information: Corsham, Wiltshire,
England.
Parents:
Father: Ford, William John Ford
Mother: Ford, Cicely Beryl Pryn, [née Biddick]
Marriage (current):
Wife's name: Ford, Janice May
Last name prior: Smith
Date of marriage: 3 June 1971
Children: Tamsin Emily May
Foster-children: Timothy James Havard, Lee Roy Mills
Marriage (previous):
Wife's name: Ford, Margaret Cecilia
Last name prior: Lucas
Children: Anthony John, Kevin Stuart Pryn, Sarah Rose Pryn
Divorced: 1970
Education:
- Minchenden School, London, England, 1950-51
- The King's School, Peterborough, England, 1951-1956
- Cathays High School, Cardiff, Wales, 1956-1958
- University of Cardiff, Wales, 1959-1961
Professional:
- C. Biol., F. I. Biol., F.L.S.
- Chartered biologist
- Fellow, Institute of Biology
- Royal Literary Fellow at The Open University
- Fellow, Linnean Society
Career History: Biologist, author,
television and radio broadcaster, lecturer, 1961-present.
Currently Royal Literary Fund Fellow, Open University.
Creative Works:
a) Author of following books:
- 1967, Science Diary,
128pp., Letts: London (annual editions).
- 1969, German Secret Weapons -
Blueprint for Mars, 160 pp, ISBN 0-345-24989-5-250, New
York: Ballantine.
- 1970, Allied Secret Weapons:
The War of Science, 160pp, ISBN 0-345-25892-4-250, New
York: Ballantine.
- 1970, Microbiology and Food,
illustrations and cover design by the Author, [hardback
edition] 212pp, ISBN 0 950 1665 020X , London: Northwood.
- 1971, Nonscience and the
Pseudotransmogrificationalific Egocentrified Proclivities
Inherently Intracorporated In Expertistical
Cerebrointellectualised Redeploymentation with Special
Reference to Quasi-Notional Fashionistic Normativity, The
Indoctrinationalistic Methodological Modalities and
Scalar Socio-Economic Promulgationary
Improvementalisationalism Predelineated Positotaxically
Toward Individualistified Mass-Acceptance
Gratificationalistic Securipermanentalisationary
Professionism, or How To Rule The World, a
quasi-official report, 206 pp, ISBN 0 7234 0449 6,
London: Wolfe.
- 1973, The Optical Microscope
Manual: Past and Present Uses and Techniques, 205pp,
ISBN 0-7153-5862-6, Newton Abbott: David and Charles.
- 1973, The Earth Watchers,
190pp, ISBN 85632-020-X, London: Leslie Frewin.
- 1973, The Revealing Lens:
Mankind and the Microscope, 208pp, ISBN
0-245-51016-8, London: George Harrap.
- 1976, Microbe Power -
Tomorrow's Revolution 182pp, ISBN 0-356-08384-5,
London: Macdonald and Jane’s.
- 1979, Patterns of Sex - the
Mating Urge and our Sexual Future 205 pp, ISBN
0-354-04375-7, London: Macdonald and Jane’s.
- 1982, The Cult of the Expert,
hardback edition, 194pp, ISBN 0-241-10476-9, London:
Hamish Hamilton.
- 1983, 101 Questions about
Science, 90pp, ISBN 0-241-10992-2, £6.95,
London: Hamish Hamilton.
- 1984, 101 More Questions About
Science, illustrated by Brian Bagnall, 90pp, ISBN
0-241-11246-X, £5.95, London: Hamish Hamilton.
- 1985, Single Lens, the Story of
the Simple Microscope, 182 pp, ISBN 0-434-26844-5, London:
William Heinemann, £9.95.
- 1985, Compute; How, Where, Why
... Do you really Need To? 115pp, ISBN
0-241-11490-X, £7.95, London: Hamish Hamilton.
- 1986, The Food Book, pp152,
ISBN 0-241-11834-4, London: Hamish Hamilton.
- 1990, The Human Body, 62pp,
ISBN 1 85561 013 2, London: Belitha Information
Library.
- 1991, The Leeuwenhoek Legacy,
185pp, Bristol: Biopress, ISBN 0-948737-10-7 and
London: Farrand Press, ISBN 1850-830-169.
- 1992, Images of Science - a
History of Scientific Illustration, 208pp, ISBN
0-7123-0267-0, London: British Library.
- 1993, First Encyclopedia of
Science, 157pp, ISBN 0-86272-944-0, London:
Kingfisher Books.
- 1994, The New Guinness Book of
Records Quiz Book, ISBN 0-85112-635-9, 128pp,
£5.99, London: Guinness Publishing.
- 1996, BSE - The Facts,
ISBN 0 552 14530 0, 208pp, £4.99, London: Corgi Books.
- 1999, Genes, the Fight for
Life, 248pp ISBN 0-304-35019-2, £14.99. London,
Cassells; New York, Sterling Publications. Available from
the Amazon
on-line bookstore.
- 1999, Sensitive Souls,
340pp, ISBN: 0 316 63956 7, London: Little, Brown.
- 2000, The Future of Food,
120pp, ISBN 0-500-28075-4, London and New York: Thames
& Hudson.
- 2000, The Secret Language of
Life, 320pp, ISBN 0-88064-254-8, New York: Fromm
International.
- 2000, The First Fifty Years
135pp, ISBN 0 0900490 37 3 (h/b), 0 900490 38 1 (p/b),
London: Institute of Biology.
b) Broadcasting:
Television:
Series include
- Week In, Week Out (BBC, 1965)
- Science Reports (ITV, 1996)
- Food for Thought (Channel 4, 1984)
- Computer Challenge (BBC 1985)
- Jensheits das Kanals (German Television,
1986)
- Weapons of War, with Charlton Heston,
(History Channel, 1998).
Radio:
Series include: Good Morning Wales (from 1965),
Where are you Taking us? (from 1966), Kaleidoscope (from 1974),
Dial a Scientist (from 1975), Science Now (from 1976), Round
Britain Quiz (1998-present), Science Hour (1999-present).
c) Lectures:
Ford has lectured in Europe and North Africa,
Middle and Far East, India, Thailand, Australia, Pacific Islands,
and in many of the United States. Annual lecture at Inter Micro,
Chicago, Illinois, 'An Evening with Brian', 1984-present.
Civic Activities:
- Fellow (1986) and Member of the Court of Governors
(1984), University of Cardiff.
- Fellow (1984) and Member of Council (1996-1999),
Institute of Biology, Member of Public Public Relations
Board (1998-) and Chairman of the History of Biology
(1989-).
- Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (1980), Member of
Library Committee (1986-) Member of Council (1993-99) and
Honorary Surveyor of Scientific Instruments (1996-).
- Member of Council (1996-), Cambridge Society for the
Application of Research.
- Fellow of the Cambridge University Philosophical Society
(1989-), Cambridge University.
- Member of Advisory Board (1995-), McCrone Research
Institute, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- Chairman. The Storers Trust (Cambridgeshire),
1998-present.
Honors:
- Honorary Member (1984-), Keynes College, University of
Kent at Canterbury.
- Member (1992-) of the New York Academy of Sciences.
- Fellow (1986-) of Cardiff University.
- Kohler medal, State Microscopical Society of Illinois,
1997.
- Royal Literary Fellow (1999-2001) at The Open University.
- Numerous awards for scientific photography, etc.
Memberships:
- Fellow (1963) Royal Microscopical Society.
- Life Member (1989), member of Council (1998) Friends of
Cambridge University Library.
- Life Member (1992), Cambridge University Society for
Cognitive Research.
- Member (1992), History of Science Society, USA
- Member (1997), Microscopical Society of America, USA
E-mail: bjford@sciences.org.uk
Web site: www.brianjford.com
