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This article is about the British author. For the American screenwriter, see Max D. Adams.

Max Adams is a British author, archaeologist.,[1][2] television presenter, and woodsman.[3][4] His books cover a wide range of subjects from British history,[5] to Arboriculture, and even his own novel. He currently manages his own young woodland in the north of England and has set up a not-for-profit partnership called "Woods for the Trees", which aims to bring together: people who would like to help cultivate healthy woodlands, with unused land that needs people's input and time.[6] Adams also co-founded, and helps to organise, an archaeological adult-education program called "The Bernician Studies Group" who, among other pursuits, have performed an archaeological survey of monastic sites in Donegal[7]

Life and career

[edit]

Early life

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Max was born in 1961 in London, to Warwick and Thelma Adams. As a boy, he lived and went to school in Twickenham. Max then moved north to study Archaeology at the University of York which led to his early career as an archaeologist.[8] One of the excavations he was involved in was at Christchurch, Spitalfields;[9] the findings of which he co-wrote and were published by the Council of British Archaeology. Afterwards, he spent several years as director of Archaeological Services at Durham University.

TV presenter

[edit]

After moving to the north-east of England, Max began presenting documentaries for ITV's local television channel - Tyne Tees. Max wrote and presented "Heroes of the revolution" in 2003 which covered some of the north's industrial pioneers. In 2005, Max wrote and presented "Trafalgar's forgotten Hero"; a documentary about Newcastle born Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, which accompanied his first major historical book publication[10][11]

Literary work

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Historical publications

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Along with his work in TV, Max has written a number of historical works. Starting with "Admiral Collingwood: Nelson's own hero",[12] a biography of Cuthbert Collingwood, who led the charge at the naval battle of Trafalgar. The book was published in 2005 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson and was then later reprinted by the publishers - Head of Zeus. Max was awarded a Churchill fellowship to support his travels required to research the life of the admiral[8][13]

Following on from his first biography, Max then went on to write "The Prometheans: John Martin and the generation that stole the future",[14][15] a look into the life and times of painter John Martin, as well a whole cast of other radical thinking men and women from the late 18th century.[16][17] The Prometheans was published by Quercus in 2010 and was named a Guardian book of the week. Max also received an Elizabeth Longford award in aid of his research.[8]

Max has also written a series of books centered on Dark Age Britain published by Head of Zeus; starting with "The King in the North: The life and times of Oswald of Northumbria",[18][19] a biography of the Northumbrian king - Oswald.[20] The King in the North was published in 2013 and was followed by "In the Land of Giants: Journey through the dark ages" in 2014,[21] a book in which Max recounts his travels across Britain and links his experiences to the land's Dark Age past.[22] For the book, Max was awarded a Roger Deakin award to support his research.[8] In 2017, "Ælfred's Britain: War and peace in the Viking age" was published; a history of the British peoples during the period throughout which Viking raids and Invasions were common.[23] Most recently in the series, published in 2021, is the book "The First Kingdom: Britain in the age of Arthur",[24] which investigates post-Roman Britain and the political struggles within it.[25][26][27][28]

In 2018, Head of Zeus also published Max's study of important women throughout history called "Unquiet Women: From the Dusk of the Roman Empire to the Dawn of the Enlightenment".[29][30] The book covers a range of historical women: from Anglo-Saxon noblewoman Wynflæd to Mary Astell, the 17th century author and philosopher.

[edit]

Max has also published a number of books relating to trees and woodlands. In "The Wisdom of Trees",[31] published by Head of Zeus in 2014,[32] is a sequence of essays, anecdotes and profiles of Britain's best-loved tree species, as well as humans' relationship with wood throughout history. Max also has written a book called "The Little Book of Planting Trees" which aims to serve as an informative and practical guide to tree planting.[33] In 2019, Head of Zeus also published Max's most recent book on trees - "Trees of Life", a collection of texts covering many tree species and varieties[34]

The Ambulist

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In 2016 Max published his own novel, The Ambulist, under his own publishing company - Beat and Track[35]. The thriller is centred on a mysterious figure who roams the Northumbrian countryside, pursued by people from his past. The book also contains illustrations by his mother, Thelma.

Woodland management

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Max has owned and managed multiple woodlands since moving to the north of England. Currently, he has an 8-acre plantation of native broadleaves near to his home in County Durham.[36][37] He is an active campaigner for the planting and studying of trees and woodlands. He recently helped set up a non-profit organisation called "Woods for the Trees" which describes itself as a "match-making service" for people who own unused or unproductive land, with people who would be eager to raise and manage small woodlands or orchards.[6]

List of publications[38][39]

[edit]
  • Across the Styx (The Spitalfields Project, Vol. 1 : The Archaeology, CBA Research Reports): v. 1 (1993)
  • Trafalgar's Lost Hero: Admiral Lord Collingwood and the Defeat of Napoleon (2005)
  • Admiral Collingwood: Nelson's Own Hero (2005)
  • Collingwood: Northumberland's Heart of Oak (2005)
  • The Firebringers: Art, Science and the Struggle for Liberty in 19th Century Britain (2009)
  • The Prometheans: John Martin and the generation that stole the future (2010)
  • The King in the North: The Life and Times of Oswald of Northumbria (2013)
  • The Wisdom of Trees: A Miscellany (2014)
  • In the Land of Giants: Journey through the dark ages (2015)
  • The Ambulist (2016)
  • Ælfred's Britain: War and Peace in the Viking Age (2017)
  • Unquiet Women: From the Dusk of the Roman Empire to the Dawn of the Enlightenment (2018)
  • The Viking Wars: War and Peace in King Alfred's Britain: 789 - 955 (2018)[40][41][42]
  • The Little Book of Planting Trees (2019)
  • Trees of Life (2019)
  • The First Kingdom: Britain in the age of Arthur (2021)

TV appearances[43]

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  • The Dig (1998) - Presenter
  • Heroes of the Revolution (2003) - Presenter and Writer
  • Trafalgar's Forgotten Hero (2005) - Presenter and Writer

References

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  1. ^ "How One Anglo-Saxon Boy Changed the Course of English History". DigVentures. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  2. ^ "Max Adams' Talk". Visit Northumberland. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  3. ^ "Max Adams". The Royal Literary Fund. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  4. ^ "Max Adams". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  5. ^ "Max Adams Talk 14 July 2021". Bailiffgate Museum Alnwick. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  6. ^ a b "Woods for the Trees". Woods for the Trees. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  7. ^ "Bernician Studies Group". Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  8. ^ a b c d "The Ambulist | the website for author Max Adams". Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  9. ^ "Christ Church, Spitalfields: investigations of the burial crypt 1984-1986". Archaeology Data Service. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  10. ^ "Max Adams - LinkedIn".
  11. ^ "Max Adams". sheil-land. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  12. ^ "Literary Review - For People Who Devour Books". Literary Review. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  13. ^ "Admiral Collingwood".
  14. ^ Seymour, Miranda (2009-03-07). "Review: The Firebringers by Max Adams". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  15. ^ "The Firebringers, By Max Adams". The Independent. 2013-11-26. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  16. ^ Adams, Max (9 May 2013). The Prometheans. Quercus. ISBN 9781849167086.
  17. ^ "Max Adams | History Today". www.historytoday.com. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  18. ^ "Book review: The King in the North: The Life and Times of Oswald of". The Independent. 2013-10-25. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  19. ^ "The King in the North (2005): Max Adams". The Idle Woman. 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  20. ^ "King in the North".
  21. ^ "In the Land of Giants by Max Adams: the Dark Ages illuminated". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  22. ^ "In the land of giants".
  23. ^ "Aelfreds Britain".
  24. ^ "The Dark Ages: a 'black hole' in Britain's history". HistoryExtra. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  25. ^ "First Kingdom".
  26. ^ Holland, Tom. "The First Kingdom by Max Adams, review — the mysterious age of Arthur". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  27. ^ "The First Kingdom - virtual author event with Max Adams". Eventbrite. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  28. ^ "Review – The First Kingdom: Britain in the Age of Arthur". Current Archaeology. 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  29. ^ "Unquiet women".
  30. ^ "A female history: Review – Unquiet Women, by Max Adams". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  31. ^ "The Wisdom of Trees by Max Adams, book review: An obscure branch of". The Independent. 2014-10-08. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  32. ^ "Wisdom of trees".
  33. ^ "Little book of planting trees".
  34. ^ "Trees of life".
  35. ^ "The Ambulist". 11 August 2016.
  36. ^ "Meet the team". Woods for the Trees. 2020-04-23. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  37. ^ Ough, Tom (2020-03-01). "I dreamed of bringing up my son in a forest... and now I'm growing a wood of my own". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  38. ^ "Max Adams - publications". www.amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  39. ^ ThriftBooks. "Max Adams Books | List of books by author Max Adams". ThriftBooks. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  40. ^ "Give Me More! Max Adams' The Viking Wars". Concerning History. 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  41. ^ September 2019, HistoryNet Staff (2019-07-31). "Book Review: The Viking Wars". HistoryNet. Retrieved 2021-05-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  42. ^ "The Viking Wars by Max Adams". Open Letters Review. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  43. ^ "Max Adams". BFI. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
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