DK

  • Visual Dictionary of Chemistry

    Visual Dictionary of Chemistry

    I had to spend a great deal of time in the photographic studio for this one, with the editors and a very patient photographer. Getting chemical reactions to occur under careful photographable conditions was tricky, and it took a great deal of organisation to make sure we had the right equipment and chemicals. From the…

  • Visual Dictionary of Physics

    Visual Dictionary of Physics

    I had to spend a great deal of time in the photographic studio for this one, with the editors and a very patient photographer. Setting up and carrying out classic physics demonstrations under careful photographable conditions was tricky, and it took a great deal of organisation to make sure we had the right equipment. From the…

  • Young Scientist (Activity Pack)

    Young Scientist (Activity Pack)

    This was quite a challenge to make so early on in my career. The box contained a book and a collection of items needed to carry out the scientific demonstrations – and deciding what to put into it was tricky. The result was great, though, and I still have a copy to this day!

  • Eyewitness Science: Energy

    Eyewitness Science: Energy

    This was the one that made me leave my job at the Science Museum in London. I was enjoying writing books, and I thought I could make a career of it. It was a privilege to write a title in the prestigious Eyewitness series, and this was a great introduction to illustrated information books.

  • My First Batteries and Magnets Book

    My First Batteries and Magnets Book

    This was only the second book I wrote, so I was thrilled to receive a handwritten letter from Peter Kindersley, the director and founder of the publishing company DK, expressing how much he liked the book and wished he had had a copy of it when he was growing up. I used my creative powers…

  • The Science Book of Numbers

    The Science Book of Numbers

    Well, this was the first book I ever wrote. I was working at London’s Science Museum at the time, and I had been working as a consultant on this series of books, which was conceived by the great Neil Ardley, who also wrote the other books in this ‘The Science’ series. It turned out that…