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Nigel Calder (1) (1931–2014)

Author of Einstein's Universe

For other authors named Nigel Calder, see the disambiguation page.

38+ Works 2,030 Members 13 Reviews

Series

Works by Nigel Calder

Einstein's Universe (1979) 908 copies
The comet is coming! (1980) 131 copies
Timescale (1983) 101 copies
The Restless Earth (1733) 83 copies
The English Channel (1986) 53 copies
Spaceships of the Mind (1978) 50 copies
The weather machine (1974) 48 copies
The Life Game (1973) 31 copies
Unless Peace Comes (1968) 28 copies
The Mind of Man (1970) 25 copies

Associated Works

New Scientist, 16 February 1961 (1961) — Contributor — 1 copy
New Scientist, 20 August 1964 (1964) — Contributor — 1 copy
The New Scientist, 10 October 1957 (1957) — Contributor — 1 copy
The New Scientist, 22 December 1960 (1960) — Contributor — 1 copy
The New Scientist, 6 February 1958 (1958) — Contributor — 1 copy
The New Scientist, 8 December 1960 (1960) — Contributor — 1 copy
The New Scientist, 29 December 1960 (1960) — Contributor — 1 copy
The New Scientist, 15 October 1959 (1959) — Contributor — 1 copy
New Scientist, 1 March 1962 (1962) — Contributor — 1 copy
New Scientist, 8 August 1963 (1963) — Reviewer — 1 copy
The New Scientist, 29 January 1959 (1959) — Contributor — 1 copy
New Scientist, 29 August 1968 (1968) — Contributor — 1 copy
New Scientist, 21 September 1967 (1967) — Contributor — 1 copy
The New Scientist, 21 November 1957 (1957) — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Legal name
Calder, Nigel David McKail Ritchie
Birthdate
1931-12-02
Date of death
2014-06-25
Gender
male
Nationality
UK
Birthplace
London, England, UK
Place of death
Crawley, Sussex, England, UK
Places of residence
Crawley, West Sussex, England, UK
Education
University of Cambridge
Occupations
magazine editor
screenwriter (TV)
science writer
Relationships
Calder, Ritchie (father)
Calder, Simon (son)
Calder, Angus (brother)
Organizations
New Scientist
Awards and honors
Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science (1972)
Agent
Liz Calder
Short biography
Nigel Calder (1931-2014) was a British science writer. Between 1956 and 1966, Calder wrote for the magazine New Scientist, serving as editor from 1962 until 1966. Following that, he worked as an independent author and TV screenwriter. He conceived and scripted thirteen major documentaries and series concerning popular science subjects broadcast by the BBC and Channel 4 (London), with accompanying books. For his television work, Calder received the Kalinga Prize for the Popularisation of Science during 1972. During 2004, his book Magic Universe was shortlisted for The Aventis Prizes for Science Books.

Nigel Calder was the son of the late Lord (Peter) Ritchie-Calder, a brother of the historian Angus Calder (1942–2008), mathematician Allan Calder and educationist Isla Calder (1946–2000), and the father of travel writer Simon Calder. His other children are Sarah (business writer), Penny (museums writer and consultant), Jo (working in an IT company) and Kate (public relations consultant). Calder's wife Liz was his literary agent and was formerly an adviser on language teaching for the London Chambers of Commerce.

Members

Reviews

I don't remember when we acquired this Penguin book but it has been on my shelves for some time. I could easily have placed it with the sailing books but it is also full of history, geology, and lore of the French and English coasts along with the various islands that exist in the Channel. The history ranges from the prehistoric up to the time in which Calder is writing and is an interesting view of the cross-channel relationships of the peoples involved.

The English Channel takes the form of a cruise in a ketch beginning at Ushant up the eastern side of the Channel to the North Sea, passing Brittany, Normandy, and on to Flanders. Then crossing over to the English side, we sail back down the channel eventually reaching the Isles of Scilly. On the way Calder treats the reader to the geology, geography, and history of each section of the coast as well as a great deal of information on navigation in the waters and ports of the Channel. The many maps were very helpful in visualizing the places he was describing.

While this was a slow read I did enjoy the many stories he told and all the facts about this area that I had never before come across.
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hailelib | 1 other review | Jan 11, 2017 |
This is a zestfully informative book on Halley's comet and on the history, legends, and science of comets as a whole. Calder takes the reader on an exhilarating journey through centuries of speculation and discoveries.
 
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paamember | 1 other review | Jan 13, 2016 |
The human world is shaped by the imagination of individuals who capture the enthusiasm of others who in tern struggle to make that dream a reality.
This book explores the proposed solutions offered up by some of the great free-thinkers of their day who contemplated the incredible odds necessary to make colonisation and extra-terrestrial habitation a reality one day in the future.
Filled with over a hundred colour and black/white photos and diagrams (with many high quality full page plates) this book speaks in very simplified terms but the ideas are grand and it makes fascinating reading. I found it a pleasant change to read a generally optimistic view of the future, even if many of the 'big ideas' failed to materialise within the projected dates given - illustrated best (on p.29) by one of the members of O'Neill's Space Settlement team sporting a Tee-shirt boasting 'Lunar Mine by '89'.
Nevertheless it acts as a convenient springboard providing a nice overview and back history of a topic which is still as much in it's infancy as it was in the late 1970's.

This fascinating book accompanied the 1978, three part, BBC / OECA (TV Ontario) television series of the same name, but is a stand alone volume in its own right.

Sadly, now out of print.
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Sylak | Nov 9, 2013 |
I am not a scientist but love to study and read science, especially regarding the cosmos and atomic/sub-atomic particles. This one was a perfect read, and the author makes these tough topics fun and easy to read.
 
Flagged
travelster | 2 other reviews | Oct 23, 2013 |

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Statistics

Works
38
Also by
14
Members
2,030
Popularity
#12,661
Rating
3.9
Reviews
13
ISBNs
174
Languages
10

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