Nigel Calder (1) (1931–2014)
Author of Einstein's Universe
For other authors named Nigel Calder, see the disambiguation page.
Series
Works by Nigel Calder
Armements modernes, Les 2 copies
Mänskligt beteende : aktuell forskning om socialt beteende hos våra förfäder, våra barn och oss själva (1976) 2 copies
Robots 1 copy
Exploding Stars [essay] 1 copy
Radio Astronomy 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Calder, Nigel David McKail Ritchie
- Birthdate
- 1931-12-02
- Date of death
- 2014-06-25
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Cambridge
- Occupations
- magazine editor
screenwriter (TV)
science writer - Organizations
- New Scientist
- Awards and honors
- Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science (1972)
- Agent
- Liz Calder
- Relationships
- Calder, Ritchie (father)
Calder, Simon (son)
Calder, Angus (brother) - 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. - Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Crawley, West Sussex, England, UK
- Place of death
- Crawley, Sussex, England, UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
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) show more 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. show less
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) show more 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. show less
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 show more 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. show less
The English Channel takes the form of show more 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. show less
It not often that a book about cruising under sail, Tagged Travel, Cruising could also then justify the Tags of Geology, Archeology, Geography, Etymology, Science and History. This book by British Scientist Nigel Calder is constructed on a cruise in his sailing ketch around the coastline of the English Channel, or la Manche. It strongly stands as a travel narrative, as an interesting cruise, as a history on the creation of the geography, coastal inlets and cliffs by the actions of the show more Teutonic Plates and as equally strongly as a historical record of the politics, tongues and anthropology of the nations around the Channel. And it is an engrossingly readable book too !
Nigel Calder is the son of the late Lord (Peter) Ritchie-Calder, a brother of the historian Angus Calder, the mathematician Allan Calder and his sister was the educationist Isla Calder … and his father also wrote as the travel writer Simon Calder. With all that family talent, and the additional experience of Calder as an editor of the English magazine New Scientist, it is no great surprise that this book is a scholarly but highly readable account. show less
Nigel Calder is the son of the late Lord (Peter) Ritchie-Calder, a brother of the historian Angus Calder, the mathematician Allan Calder and his sister was the educationist Isla Calder … and his father also wrote as the travel writer Simon Calder. With all that family talent, and the additional experience of Calder as an editor of the English magazine New Scientist, it is no great surprise that this book is a scholarly but highly readable account. show less
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.
Lists
RAS (1)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 39
- Also by
- 14
- Members
- 2,221
- Popularity
- #11,540
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 13
- ISBNs
- 179
- Languages
- 11