Jump to content

Hugh Aldersey-Williams

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by OmniBot (talk | contribs) at 02:18, 30 July 2016 (External links: did general fixes if needed, replaced: External Links → External links). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Hugh Aldersey-Williams
EducationUniversity of Cambridge
Occupation(s)Author, journalist, columnist
Websitewww.hughalderseywilliams.com

Hugh Aldersey-Williams (born 1959) is an author and journalist from the United Kingdom. Aldersey-Williams was educated at Highgate School and studied the natural sciences at the University of Cambridge. His several books discuss issues surrounding natural and man-made designs. He has curated exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum as well as the Wellcome Collection.[1]

Aldersey-Williams is perhaps best known for his 2011 book Periodic Tales, which The Daily Telegraph described as "a paean to the building blocks of matter".[1][2] The book (ISBN 9780061824722) takes a comprehensive look through world history to detail where, how, and why humanity discovered the elements. It also received praise from Kirkus Reviews, which labelled it "lucid" and "enjoyable".[3] In October 2015 he co-curated an exhibition based on the book at Compton Verney Art Gallery, Periodic Tales: The Art of the Elements, exhibiting predominantly contemporary art works and focusing on the relationship between artistic objects and the elemental materials that go into their making.[4]

Aldersey-Williams contributed an essay on Sir Thomas Browne to The Society for Curious Thought.[5]

Background

Aldersey-Williams has a lifetime hobby, since his teenage days, of collecting samples of the elements and setting them up in his home.[2]

Books

  • The Most Beautiful Molecule: The Discovery of the Buckyball, John Wiley & Sons, 1995
  • Zoomorphic: New Animal Architecture, Collins Design, 2003
  • Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc, Ecco Press, 2011
  • Anatomies: A Cultural History of the Human Body, W. W. Norton & Company, 2013
  • In Search of Sir Thomas Browne: The Life and Afterlife of the Seventeenth Century's Most Inquiring Mind, W. W. Norton & Company, 2015

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Four Way Interview - Hugh Aldersey-Williams". popularscience.co.uk. February 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2011. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ a b Farmelo, Graham (30 January 2011). "Periodic Tales by Hugh Aldersey-Williams: review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 March 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Periodic-Tales-Hugh-Aldersey-Williams/?isbn=9780061824722
  4. ^ Campbell-Johnston, Rachel (2 October 2015). "It's elemental: art with good chemistry". Times online. Retrieved 8 October 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "'The Curious Mind of Sir Thomas Browne'".