Jack Turner (writer)

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For other persons of the same name, see Jack Turner.

Jack Charles Turner (born 1968 in Sydney, Australia) is a non-fiction writer and television documentary host. His work focuses on international studies, especially relating historical societies to modern ones.

Jack Turner, writer and TV documentary host.
Jack Turner, writer and TV documentary host.

Contents

[edit] Background

Jack Charles Turner was born in 1968 in Sydney, Australia[1]. He is 186cm (6'1") tall, and a British national[2]. He lives with his wife, Helena Fraser (St Antony's College at Oxford, class of 1995), their son, Oscar, and daughter, Zoe Saffron Evie (born 20 September 2004)[3], in Geneva[1]. He has also lived in Madrid, Tbilisi, and New York[4].

[edit] Education

Jack Turner earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Studies from The University of Melbourne. In 1992, Turner was elected as an "Australia At Large" Rhodes Scholar[5] and attended Oxford University. The Rhodes Scholarship allowed Turner to branch out and change his major from Classics to International Relations[4]. He graduated from Magdalen College at Oxford with a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in International Relations in 1994[6]. His masters thesis was entitled Soviet New Thinking and the Cambodian Conflict[7]. From 2004 to 2006, Jack, or "Jaxon" as he was known to his teammates, was the captain and setter for the Oxford University Volleyball Club Blues Men's team[2].

[edit] Career

Two years after receiving his Fellowship, Turner took a break from academia and took a professional job in Madrid, Spain. After spending three months wearing a suit to work, he decided that writing was calling. He quit his job and moved with his wife to Tbilisi, Georgia to write his first book.[4]

[edit] Writings

Throughout his studies, Turner was fascinated by how many times various spices appeared in historical references. That, combined with an early interest in spices, partly enhanced by his mother's spicy cooking, resulted in his decision to pursue the subject of spices further[8]. The result is a book entitled Spice: The History of a Temptation, which traces spices back through time, through history, myth, archaeology, and literature.

In the summer of 2000, he stated that he planned to base his next book on his experiences living in Caucasus[4].

[edit] Bibliography

  • Spice: The History of a Temptation. (Aug. 9, 2005). ISBN 0-375-70705-0. Paperback. Vintage; Reprint edition, 384 pages.
  • Spice: The History of a Temptation. (Mar. 21, 2005). ISBN 0-00-655173-4. Paperback. Harper Perennial; New Ed edition, 448 pages.
  • Spice: The History of a Temptation. (Aug. 10, 2004). ISBN 0-375-40721-9. Hardcover. Knopf, 384 pages.

[edit] Other Works

Turner is the host of the What the Ancients Knew documentary series on The Science Channel. In the series, he visited key places from world history, focusing on the scientific, anthropoligic, economic, and mechanical issues of the ancient civilizations and how their works influence modern life. The original three episodes covered the Romans, the Egyptians, and the Chinese. Later episodes covered the Japanese, the Greeks, and India.

[edit] Notes and References

  1. ^ a b Random House, Inc. "Author Spotlight: Jack Turner". Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Oxford University Volleyball Club. "Players Information, Student Teams, Blues Alumni". Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.
  3. ^ "Antonian Productions". (Autumn 2005). St Anthony's College Newsletter p. 11. Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.
  4. ^ a b c d "Making a difference: Rhodes Scholars review how the Scholarship shaped their lives". (Number 58 - Summer 2000) Trinity Today. p. 11. Retrieved Nov. 23, 2006.
  5. ^ The University of Melbourne. "List of Rhodes Scholars Elected for Victoria". Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.
  6. ^ "University Acts: Congregation 25 March: Degree by Special Resolution". (Apr. 18, 1996). Oxford University Gazette. Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.
  7. ^ Oxford University, Department of Politics and International Relations. "Full List of Successful Graduate International Relations Thttp://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/teaching/resources/theses/ir/res/ir_theses_table.pdf "Full List of Successful Graduate International Relations Theses from 1971". p. 64. Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.
  8. ^ Random House, Inc. "AUTHOR Q & A: A Conversation with Jack Turner". Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.

[edit] External links

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