Nicholas Best
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Best is a British author of Anglo-Irish origin. He grew up in Kenya
and was educated there, at King's School, Canterbury and at Trinity College, Dublin
. He served with the Grenadier Guards
in Windsor
and Belize
and worked in London as a journalist before becoming a full time author. He lives now in Cambridge
.
His early books include Happy Valley: The story of the English in Kenya, and Where were you at Waterloo?, a satirical novel of army life. His second novel, Tennis and the Masai, was later serialised on BBC Radio 4. It told the story of a Kenya prep school
similar to Best's own, where the cricket score arrived by carrier pigeon and runaway boys were hunted down with spearmen and tracker dogs.
Best's most recent book is The Greatest Day in History, a widely acclaimed account of the 1918 Armistice
. In 2010, he was long-listed for the Sunday Times short story award with The Souvenir, a satirical account of American furniture salesmen scouring the Amazon for shrunken heads.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and was educated there, at King's School, Canterbury and at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. He served with the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
in Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
and Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
and worked in London as a journalist before becoming a full time author. He lives now in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
.
His early books include Happy Valley: The story of the English in Kenya, and Where were you at Waterloo?, a satirical novel of army life. His second novel, Tennis and the Masai, was later serialised on BBC Radio 4. It told the story of a Kenya prep school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
similar to Best's own, where the cricket score arrived by carrier pigeon and runaway boys were hunted down with spearmen and tracker dogs.
Best's most recent book is The Greatest Day in History, a widely acclaimed account of the 1918 Armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
. In 2010, he was long-listed for the Sunday Times short story award with The Souvenir, a satirical account of American furniture salesmen scouring the Amazon for shrunken heads.
Published works
- Happy Valley: The story of the English in Kenya (Secker and WarburgSecker and WarburgHarvill Secker is a British publishing company formed in 2004 from the merger of Secker and Warburg and the Harvill Press.Secker and Warburg was formed in 1936 from a takeover of Martin Secker, which was in receivership, by Fredric Warburg and Roger Senhouse...
, 1979) - Where were you at Waterloo? (R. Hale, 1981)
- Tennis and the Masai (HutchinsonHutchinson (publisher)Hutchinson & Co. was an English book publisher, founded in 1887. The company merged with Century Publishing in 1985 to form Century Hutchinson, and was folded into the British Random House Group in 1989, where it remains as an imprint in the Cornerstone Publishing division...
, 1986) - Medieval Britain (with Andy Williams; Weidenfeld & NicolsonWeidenfeld & NicolsonWeidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It is a division of the Orion Publishing Group.-History:...
, 1995) - Celtic Britain (with Andy Williams; Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1995)
- Historic Britain from the air (with Jason Hawkes; Vendome Press, 1995)
- The Presidents of the United States of America (Little, Brown and Co.Little, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, 1995) - The Kings and Queens of England (Little, Brown and Co., 1995)
- The Knights Templar (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1997)
- The Kings and Queens of Scotland (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999)
- London in the Footsteps of the Famous (Bradt Travel Guides, 2002)
- Trafalgar: the untold story of the greatest sea battle in history (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005)
- The Greatest Day in History: how the Great War really ended (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2008)