Duff Hart-Davis
Encyclopedia
Peter Duff Hart-Davis generally known as Duff Hart-Davis, is a British
biographer, naturalist
and journalist
, who writes for The Independent newspaper. He is married to Phyllida Barstow and has one son and one daughter, the journalist Alice Hart-Davis
. He lives at Owlpen
, in Gloucestershire
.
He is the eldest son of the publisher Rupert Hart-Davis
and the brother of television
broadcaster
and author
Adam Hart-Davis
and Bridget, the dowager Lady Silsoe. His biography of his godfather
, the adventure
r and writer
Peter Fleming, entitled Peter Fleming: A Biography, was published in 1974.
He is a direct descendant of King William IV and his mistress Dorothea Jordan and is therefore fifth cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II, second cousin once removed of the Conservative party leader David Cameron
and first cousin once removed of the historian John Julius Norwich
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
biographer, naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, who writes for The Independent newspaper. He is married to Phyllida Barstow and has one son and one daughter, the journalist Alice Hart-Davis
Alice Hart-Davis
Alice Hart-Davis is a British journalist and author. She was brought up in Henley-on-Thames and attended Headington School before reading history at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. After university she joined Vogue in 1985...
. He lives at Owlpen
Owlpen
Owlpen is a small village and civil parish in the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England, set in a picturesque valley in the Cotswold hills. It is about one mile east of Uley, and three miles east of Dursley. The Owlpen valley is set around the settlement like an amphitheatre of wooded hills...
, in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
.
He is the eldest son of the publisher Rupert Hart-Davis
Rupert Hart-Davis
Sir Rupert Charles Hart-Davis was an English publisher, editor and man of letters. He founded the publishing company Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd...
and the brother of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcaster
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Adam Hart-Davis
Adam Hart-Davis
Adam John Hart-Davis is an English scientist, author, photographer, historian and broadcaster, well-known in the UK for presenting the BBC television series Local Heroes and What the Romans Did for Us, the latter spawning several spin-off series involving the Victorians, the Tudors, the Stuarts,...
and Bridget, the dowager Lady Silsoe. His biography of his godfather
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
, the adventure
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
r and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
Peter Fleming, entitled Peter Fleming: A Biography, was published in 1974.
He is a direct descendant of King William IV and his mistress Dorothea Jordan and is therefore fifth cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II, second cousin once removed of the Conservative party leader David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
and first cousin once removed of the historian John Julius Norwich
John Julius Norwich
John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich CVO — known as John Julius Norwich — is an English historian, travel writer and television personality.-Early life:...
.
Non-fiction
- Behind the Scenes on a Newspaper (1964)
- Ascension: The Story of a South Atlantic Island (1972) ISBN 0-385-00314-5
- Peter Fleming: A Biography (1974) ISBN 0-224-01028-X
- Monarchs of the Glen: A History of Deer-Stalking in the Scottish Highlands (1978) ISBN 0-224-01463-3
- Fighter Pilot (1981), co-written with Colin Strong
- Hitler's Games: The 1936 Olympics (1986) ISBN 0-06-015554-X
- Armada (1988) ISBN 0-593-01231-3
- Country Matters (1988)
- House the Berrys Built (1990) Concerns the history of the Daily Telegraph from its inception to 1990. Illustrated with references and illustrations of William Ewart Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose (later called Lord Camrose).
- Wildings: The Secret Garden of Eileen Soper (1991)
- Further Country Matters (1992) ISBN 1-85310-323-3
- When the Country Went to Town: The Countryside Marches and Rally of 1997 (1997)
- Raoul Millais: His Life and Work (1998) ISBN 1-85310-977-0
- Fauna Britannica: The Practical Guide to Wild & Domestic Creatures of Britain (2002) ISBN 0-297-82532-1
- Audubon's Elephant: America’s Greatest Naturalist and the Making of the Birds of America (2003) ISBN 0-8050-7568-2
- Honorary Tiger: The Life of Billy Arjan Singh (2005) ISBN 81-7436-405-6
- Philip de Laszlo (2010) ISBN 978-0-300-13716-3
Novels
- The Megacull (1968) ISBN 0-09-455760-8
- Gold of St. Matthew (1970) ISBN 0-09-456890-1 Published in the U.S. as "Gold trackers" (1970)
- Spider in the Morning (1972) ISBN 0-09-458610-1
- The Heights of Rimring (1980) ISBN 0-224-01837-X Republished in "Mammoth book of spy thrillers", ed. John Winwood (1989) ISBN 0-88184-481-0
- Level Five (1982) ISBN 0-224-01828-0
- Fire Falcon (1983) ISBN 0-224-02080-3
- The Man-Eater of Jassapur (1985) ISBN 0-224-02995-9
- Horses of War (1991) ISBN 1-85619-062-5
As editor
- End of an era : letters and journals of Sir Alan LascellesAlan LascellesSir Alan Frederick "Tommy" Lascelles, GCB, GCVO, CMG, MC was a British courtier and civil servant who held several positions in the first half of the twentieth century, culminating in his position as Private Secretary to both King George VI and to Queen Elizabeth II...
, 1887-1920 (1986) ISBN 0-241-11960-X - In Royal Service: Letters and Journals of Sir Alan Lascelles, Vol. 2, 1920–36 (1989)
- Eileen Soper's Book of Badgers (1992)
- Pavilions of Splendour: An Architectural History of Lord's (2004)
- King's Counsellor Abdication and War: the Diaries of Sir Alan Lascelles (2006)