Ross, Stewart 1947-
ROSS, Stewart 1947-
PERSONAL: Born April 4, 1947, in Aylesbury, England; son of Graham and Marjorie (a physiotherapist) Ross; married; wife's name Lucy (a music administrator), 1978; children: James, Kate, Alex, Eleanor. Ethnicity: "Anglo-Saxon." Education: Exeter University, B.A., 1969, M.A., 1972; Bristol University, certificate in education, 1970; Rollins College, M.A.T., 1979. Politics: Liberal. Religion: "Vaguely Christian." Hobbies and other interests: Drama, opera, sport.
ADDRESSES: Home—3 Westfield, Blean, Canterbury, Kent CT2 9ER, England.
CAREER: Trinity College, Sri Lanka, teacher, 1965-66; Exeter University, England, assistant tutor, 1970-72; University of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, lecturer, 1972-74; King's School, Canterbury, England, master/housemaster, 1974-78; Rollins College, Florida, lecturer, 1979-89; full-time writer, 1989—. I.C.E.S. La Roche-sur-Yon, France, lecturer, 1995—; frequent lecturer and broadcaster.
MEMBER: Canterbury Arts Council (vice chairperson), Society of Authors.
AWARDS, HONORS: Best Books citation, American Library Association, 1995, for Shakespeare and Macbeth: The Story behind the Play; Pick of the List citation, American Booksellers Association, 1996, for Witches.
WRITINGS:
NONFICTION; FOR CHILDREN
Columbus and the Age of Exploration, illustrated by Ken Stott, Bookwright (New York, NY), 1985.
Chaucer and the Middle Ages, illustrated by John James, Wayland (Hove, England), 1985.
A Medieval Serf, illustrated by Alan Langford, Wayland (Hove, England), 1985.
Pepys and the Stuarts, illustrated by Gerry Wood, Wayland (Hove, England), 1985.
A Saxon Farmer, illustrated by Mark Bergin, Wayland (Hove, England), 1985.
A Victorian Factory Worker, illustrated by Alan Langford, Wayland (Hove, England), 1985.
Dickens and the Victorians, illustrated by Gerry Wood, Wayland (Hove, England), 1986.
Spotlight on Medieval Europe, Wayland (Hove, England), 1986.
The Ancient Britons, illustrated by Mark Bergin, Wayland (Hove, England), 1987.
Lloyd George and the First World War, illustrated by Martin Salisbury, Wayland (Hove, England), 1987.
Spotlight on the Stuarts, Wayland (Hove, England), 1987.
Spotlight on the Victorians, Wayland (Hove, England), 1987.
Winston Churchill and the Second World War, illustrated by Richard Scollins, Wayland (Hove, England), 1987.
The Ancient World, Watts (New York, NY), 1990.
Britain between the Wars, Wayland (Hove, England), 1990.
The Home Front, Wayland (Hove, England), 1990.
Elizabethan Life, Batsford (London, England), 1991.
The Nineteen Eighties, Trafalgar Square (London, England), 1991.
Europe, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1992.
Racism in the Third Reich, Batsford (London, England), 1992.
Battle of Little Bighorn, D. Bennett (St. Alban's, England), 1993.
Britain at War 1914-1918, Batsford (London, England), 1993.
Gunfight at O.K. Corral, D. Bennett (St. Alban's, England), 1993.
Propaganda, Thomson Learning (New York, NY), 1993.
Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, D. Bennett (St. Alban's, England), 1993.
World Leaders, Thomson Learning (New York, NY), 1993.
Wounded Knee, D. Bennett (St. Alban's, England), 1993.
Cavaliers and Roundheads, Batsford (London, England), 1994.
Shakespeare and Macbeth: The Story behind the Play, illustrated by Tony Karpinski and Victor Ambrus, Viking (New York, NY), 1994.
Britain since 1930, Evans (London, England), 1995.
Ancient Greece: Greek Theatre, Wayland (Hove, England), 1996.
Ancient Greece: The Original Olympics, Thomson Learning (New York, NY), 1996.
And Then—: A History of the World in 128 Pages, illustrated by John Lobban, Copper Beech (Brookfield, CT), 1996.
Beware the King! The Story of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII, Evans (London, England), 1996.
Down with the Romans: The Tragic Tale of Queen Boudicca, Evans (London, England), 1996.
Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre, illustrated by Robert Van Nutt, Viking (New York, NY), 1997.
Gods and Giants: Myths of Northern Europe, illustrated by Francis Phillipps, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 1997.
Warriors & Witches, illustrated by Francis Phillipps, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 1997.
Dragons and Demons: Myths of China, Japan, and India, illustrated by Francis Phillipps, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 1998.
Monsters and Magic, illustrated by Francis Phillipps, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 1998.
Oxford Children's Book of the 20th Century: A Concise Guide to a Century of Contrast and Change, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 1998.
Spirits and Sorcerers, illustrated by Francis Phillipps, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 1998.
Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn, illustrated by Ronald Himler, Viking (New York, NY), 1999.
Daily Life, P. Bedrick Books (Lincolnwood, IL), 1999.
The Original Olympics, P. Bedrick Books (Lincolnwood, IL), 1999.
Greek Theatre, P. Bedrick Books (Lincolnwood, IL), 1999.
Vikings, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 2000.
The War in Kosovo, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 2000.
Assassination in Sarajevo: The Trigger for World War I, Heinemann Library (Chicago, IL), 2001.
The American Revolution, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 2001.
The Industrial Revolution, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 2001.
Leaders of World War II, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 2001.
The Fall of the Bastille: Revolution in France, Heinemann Library (Chicago, IL), 2001.
Alexander Graham Bell, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 2001.
The Story of Anne Frank, Thameside Press (North Mankato, MN), 2001.
The Story of Mother Teresa, Thameside Press (North Mankato, MN), 2001.
The Story of Ludwig van Beethoven, Thameside Press (North Mankato, MN), 2002.
The Star Houses, Barron's (Hauppauge, NY), 2002.
Only a Matter of Time: A Story From Kosovo, Barron's (Hauppauge, NY), 2002.
The Causes of the Cold War, World Almanac Library (Milwaukee, WI), 2002.
The Technology of World War I, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 2003.
The Russian Revolution, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 2003.
Michael Faraday, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 2003.
Leonardo da Vinci, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 2003.
Leaders of World War I, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 2003.
The French Revolution, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 2003.
The Causes of World War I, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 2003.
World War I, World Almanac Library (Milwaukee, WI), 2004.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Raintree (Chicago, IL), 2004.
William Shakespeare, Raintree (Chicago, IL), 2004.
The United Nations, Raintree (Chicago, IL), 2004.
Monarchs, Lucent (San Diego, CA), 2004.
The Collapse of Communism, Heinemann Library (Chicago, IL), 2004.
The Battle of the Somme, Raintree (Chicago, IL), 2004.
"HOW THEY LIVED" SERIES; FOR CHILDREN
A Family in World War II, illustrated by Alan Langford, Wayland (Hove, England), 1985.
A Roman Centurion, illustrated by Alan Langford, Wayland (Hove, England), 1985, Rourke Enterprises, 1987.
An Edwardian Household, illustrated by John James, Wayland (Hove, England), 1986.
A Crusading Knight, illustrated by Mark Bergin, Rourke Enterprises, 1986.
A Soldier in World War I, illustrated by John Haysom, Wayland (Hove, England), 1987.
"POLITICS TODAY" SERIES; FOR CHILDREN
The Alliance Parties, Wayland (Hove, England), 1986.
The Conservative Party, Wayland (Hove, England), 1986.
The House of Commons, Wayland (Hove, England), 1986.
The House of Lords, Wayland (Hove, England), 1986.
The Labour Party, Wayland (Hove, England), 1986.
The Prime Minister, Wayland (Hove, England), 1986.
The Cabinet and Government, Wayland (Hove, England), 1987.
Elections, Wayland (Hove, England), 1987.
The European Parliament and the European Community, Wayland (Hove, England), 1987.
Local Government, Wayland (Hove, England), 1987.
The Monarchy, Wayland (Hove, England), 1987.
Trade Unions and Pressure Groups, Wayland (Hove, England), 1987.
"WITNESS HISTORY" SERIES; FOR CHILDREN
China since 1945, Wayland (Hove, England), 1988, Bookwright (New York, NY), 1989.
Toward European Unity, Wayland (Hove, England), 1989.
The Origins of World War I, Bookwright (New York, NY), 1989.
The Russian Revolution, Bookwright (New York, NY), 1989.
The United Nations, Wayland (Hove, England), 1989, Bookwright (New York, NY), 1990.
War in the Trenches, Wayland (Hove, England), 1990, Bookwright (New York, NY), 1990.
The USSR under Stalin, Bookwright (New York, NY), 1991.
"STARTING HISTORY" SERIES; FOR CHILDREN
Food We Ate, Wayland (Hove, England), 1991.
How We Travelled, Wayland (Hove, England), 1991.
What We Wore, Wayland (Hove, England), 1991.
Where We Lived, Wayland (Hove, England), 1991.
Our Environment, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.
Our Family, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.
Our Health, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.
Our Holidays, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.
Our Schools, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.
Shopping, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.
"FACT OR FICTION" SERIES; FOR CHILDREN
Spies and Traitors, Copper Beech (Brookfield, CT), 1995.
Pirates: The Story of Buccaneers, Brigands, Corsairs, and Their Piracy on the High Seas from the Spanish Main to the China Sea, Copper Beech (Brookfield, CT), 1995.
Cowboys: A Journey down the Long, Lonely Cattle Trail in Search of the Hard-Riding, Gun-Slinging Cowhands of the Old West, Copper Beech (Brookfield, CT), 1995.
Bandits and Outlaws: The Truth about Outlaws, Highwaymen, Smugglers, and Robbers from the Bandit Gangs of Ancient China to the Desperados of Today, Copper Beech (Brookfield, CT), 1995.
Conquerors and Explorers, Copper Beech (Brookfield, CT), 1996.
Secret Societies, Copper Beech (Brookfield, CT), 1996.
Knights, Copper Beech (Brookfield, CT), 1996.
Witches, Copper Beech (Brookfield, CT), 1996.
Beasts, illustrated by Francis Phillipps, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 1997.
Monsters of the Deep, illustrated by Francis Phillipps, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 1997.
"CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES" SERIES; FOR CHILDREN
Causes and Consequences of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1996.
Causes and Consequences of the Rise of Japan and the Pacific Rim, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1996.
Causes and Consequences of World War II, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1996.
Causes and Consequences of the Great Depression, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1998.
Causes and Consequences of World War I, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1998.
"COMING ALIVE" SERIES; FOR CHILDREN
Long Live Mary, Queen of Scots, illustrated by Sue Shields, Evans Brothers Ltd (London, England), 1998.
Athens Is Saved!: The First Marathon, illustrated by Sue Shields, Evans Brothers Ltd (London, England), 1998.
Find King Alfred!, Evans Brothers Ltd (London, England), 1999.
NONFICTION; FOR ADULTS
Monarchs of Scotland, Facts on File (New York, NY), 1990.
Scottish Castles, illustrated by David Simon, Lochar (Moffat, Scotland), 1990.
Ancient Scotland, Lochar (Moffat, Scotland), 1991.
History in Hiding: The Story of Britain's Secret Passages and Hiding Places, R. Hale (London, England), 1991.
The Stewart Dynasty, Nairn, Thomas & Lochar (Moffat, Scotland), 1993.
FICTION; FOR ADULTS
One Crowded Hour, Warner (New York, NY), 1994.
Beneath Another Sun, Warner (New York, NY), 1994.
OTHER
(Editor) The First World War, Wayland (Hove, England), 1989.
(Editor) The Second World War, Wayland (Hove, England), 1989.
The Last Clarinet (a libretto), with music by Paul Englishby, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 1995.
Also author of numerous articles and a play that was performed in 1992.
SIDELIGHTS: In nearly twenty years as a full-time writer, Stewart Ross has published close to 200 books. In an essay for Something about the Author Autobiography Series (SAAS), Ross traced his productive career as an author directly back to his childhood love of reading. "I read voraciously. The more I read, the more I wanted to read," he recalled. "This love of books and the words within them made me determined to be a writer." One particular book influenced him toward writing nonfiction in order to provide young readers with interesting glimpses into the past. "My passion for history grew from the seeds planted by an attractive book of stories from the past, brightly colored pictures on one side and the text on the other, most of it myth. That didn't matter at the time: inspiration first, analysis later," he commented in SAAS.
Born in Aylesbury, England, in 1947, Ross grew up in the English countryside. When he was not reading, he spent many hours creating daring, imaginative adventures with his brother in the woods and fields near their home. These experiences, too, fueled his desire to become a writer. "My early childhood furnished me with the two things essential to all writers: a love for words and a turbulent imagination. Neither is a gift from on high. We are probably all born with an equal capacity to imagine, but we are not given an equal chance to set it free. My upbringing released my imagination, trained it, and encouraged it to develop," he explained in his autobiography. "Nothing feeds the young imagination like a potent cocktail of books, time, and space."
From the age of eight, Ross attended private boarding schools in England. Though he appreciated the high academic standards set forth at the schools and the self-reliance he gained there, he resented being forced to wear a uniform and being subjected to corporal punishment. Only in his last two years was he allowed to concentrate in the subjects he loved: literature and history. Through the work of two enthusiastic teachers, he developed a special fondness for the books of William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. "My mother says that at the age of seventeen I sat on an Italian beach more engrossed in [Dickens's novel] Nicholas Nickleby than the surrounding bikinis," Ross wrote in SAAS. "It's a good story, but I don't believe her."
After graduating in 1965, Ross traveled to Sri Lanka as part of the British Voluntary Service Overseas, an organization similar to the American Peace Corps. He spent the next year teaching English "exuberantly and no doubt rather badly," as he admitted in his autobiography, before returning to England by way of India, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Greece. Ross attended college for the next six years, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in history from Exeter University and a teaching certificate from Bristol University. Over the next dozen years, he took teaching positions in Saudi Arabia, England, and Florida. "I discovered early on that you never really know your subject until you have to teach it. To give a course of study you not only have to know the facts, but you have to be able to present them in a memorable and digestible form," Ross noted in SAAS. "The hours and hours of reading and research stood me in good stead as a teacher and, later, as a writer. Many of my early books were little more than extensions of my teaching notes."
Ross's writing career got its start in 1984, when he was given the opportunity to write a book for young readers about Christopher Columbus. When the book, Columbus and the Age of Exploration, was published the following year, it led to contracts for several more books that explained historical events to students. Before long, Ross, who by this time was married with four children, felt overwhelmed by the demands of teaching, writing, and family. He quit teaching in 1989 in order to become a full-time writer and spend more time with his family, though he continued to work occasionally as a lecturer and broadcaster.
Since then, Ross has produced as many as a dozen books per year about famous people, world events, and historical time periods. In his "superb" Shakespeare and Macbeth: The Story behind the Play, for instance, Ross did "a terrific job of making the vitality of Shakespeare accessible" to young readers, according to a writer for Kirkus Reviews. The 1994 book describes what London was like during Shakespeare's time, takes readers behind the scenes at the famous Globe Theatre, and explains the pressures the Bard faced while writing his play. Ross contends that Shakespeare wrote and rewrote Macbeth in order to please the recently crowned King James—all the while keeping the script secret even from the actors to prevent competing theaters from stealing his ideas. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly called the book "intelligent and informative," adding that it "excels at introducing theater as a living art form." Sally Margolis, in a review for School Library Journal, stated that "the perpetual grouse by Shakespeare buffs that a book can't give young people the true sense of a stage production is at least partly countered by this dynamic gem."
Ross composes his books in a small, insulated hut in the garden of his family's home. Calling himself "the most fortunate of men" in his SAAS essay, he explained that he could hardly wait to make his ten-yard commute each morning and begin writing. "I have no magic formula for those who wish to write. But if you don't love words, stop now and set your sights on something more conventional. Writing is primarily about playing with words, not ideas: expression first, content second," Ross wrote in his autobiography. "If you have a passion for words and wish to write, read, read, and read again. Read critically, omnivorously, all day, every day. Old books, new books—any books: poetry, manuals, novels, essays, newspapers. And as you read, write. Write as much as you can. Get others to read what you have written and listen to what they say. In this way, gradually, you will develop a style of your own, a unique voice."
BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:
BOOKS
Something about the Author Autobiography Series, Volume 23, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1996.
PERIODICALS
Booklist, June 1, 1989, p. 1726; March 15, 1995, p. 1324; July 1, 1995, p. 1877; December 15, 1995, Hazel Rochman, review of Arab-Israeli Conflict, p. 694; March 1, 1999, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn, p. 1210; January 1, 2001, Heather Hepler, review of The Original Olympics, p. 946; November 15, 2002, Ilene Cooper, review of The Causes of the Cold War, p. 599; March 1, 2003, Hazel Rochman, review of The Causes of World War I, p. 1154; December 1, 2003, Carolyn Phelan, review of Leaders of World War I, p. 663.
Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 1994, p. 1542.
Publishers Weekly, October 31, 1994, p. 63.
School Library Journal, August, 1989, p. 158; July, 1990, p. 93; January, 1995, p. 142; May, 1995, p. 115; January, 1996, p. 136; February, 1996, p. 120; March, 1996, p. 214; June, 1996, pp. 141, 147; December, 1998, Ann W. Moore, review of Long Live Mary, Queen of Scots, p. 90; December, 1998, Cynthia M. Sturgis, review of Athens is Saved! The First Marathon, p. 90; February, 1999, Cheri Estes, review of Find King Alfred!, p. 124; May, 1999, Shawn Brommer, review of Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn, p. 142; August, 2000, Cynthia M. Sturgis, review of The OriginalOlympics, p. 203; September, 2000, Cynthia M. Sturgis, review of Greek Theatre, p. 255; July, 2001, Lana Miles, review of Assassination in Sarajevo: The Trigger for World War I, p. 116; March, 2002, Carol Wichman, review of The American Revolution, p. 257; December, 2002, Kathleen Isaacs, review of Only a Matter of Time: A Story From Kosovo, p. 146; February, 2003, Elizabeth Talbot, review of The Russian Revolution, p. 169; May, 2003, Edith Ching, review of The United Nations, p. 176; July, 2003, Eldon Younce, review of The Technology of World War I, p. 148.
Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 1990, p. 250.
ONLINE
Stewart Ross Home Page,http://www.stewart49.freeserve.co.uk/ (March 10, 2004).*