Brian Clegg (writer)

Born in Rochdale, Lancashire, Clegg was educated at Manchester Grammar School and went on to read Natural Science (specialising in experimental physics) at the University of Cambridge. After graduating, he spent a year at Lancaster University where he gained a second MA in Operational Research, a discipline originally developed during the Second World War to apply the power of mathematics to warfare. It has since been widely applied to problem solving and decision making in business.http://www.brianclegg.net Biographical details from Brian Clegg's website

From Lancaster, he joined British Airways, where he formed a new department tasked with providing all PC hardware, software and consultancy to the airline. When this was successfully running, he set up BA's Emerging Technologies Group, which researched and trialled technologies from fingerprint recognition to electronic cash. This emphasis on innovation led to training with Dr. Edward de Bono, and in 1994 he left BA to set up his own creativity consultancy, running courses on the development of new ideas and products, and the creative solution of business problems. His clients include the BBC, the Met Office, British Airways, GlaxoSmithKline, Sony, Royal Bank of Scotland and many other blue-chips.

Clegg is a regular speaker and has spoken at a range of venues, from Oxford and Cambridge universities to the Dana Centre at London's Science Museum. His book A Brief History of InfinityClegg, B: "A Brief History of Infinity". Constable & Robinson, 2003 was launched with a sell-out lecture at the Royal Institution in London. He is also a regular contributor to both radio and TV programmes and writes regular columns, features and reviews for numerous magazines and newspapers,{{Cite web|url=http://us.macmillan.com/author/brianclegg|title = Author}} including PC Week, Computer Weekly, Personal Computer World, BBC History Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Chemistry World, Physics World, Nature, Playboy, The Wall Street Journal, The Times, The Observer and House Beautiful.

Clegg's 'Ecologic' won the 2009 IVCA Clarion Award, while 'A Brief History of Infinity' and 'Dice World' have been on the longlist for the Royal Society's book prize. In 2013, he was featured as a question on the BBC quiz show University Challenge and also appeared in the Christmas edition of the show, representing Lancaster University alongside actor Roger Ashton-Griffiths, presenter Ranvir Singh and food writer Matthew Fort.

His book, Are Numbers Real?: the Uncanny Relationship between Maths and the Physical World, was published by Robinson on 2 February 2017.It was published by St. Martin's Press in December 2016 in the United States. Publishers Weekly calls it an "entertaining and accessible look at the numbers we take for granted every day."{{cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-250-08104-9|title=Nonfiction Book Review: Are Numbers Real? The Uncanny Relationship of Mathematics and the Physical World by Brian Clegg|website=Publishers Weekly|date=6 December 2016 }} Kirkus Reviews states: "Solid as a straightforward chronology of how mathematics has developed over time, and the author adds a provocative note urging scientists to keep it in its place."{{cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/brian-clegg/are-numbers-real/|title=ARE NUMBERS REAL? by Brian Clegg – Kirkus Reviews|via=kirkusreviews.com}}

Clegg lives in Wiltshire with his wife and twin children.{{Cite web|url=http://brianclegg.blogspot.com/2009/07/farewell-to-village-people.html|title = Farewell to the Village People}}

• {{cite book |title=Biomimetics: How Lessons from Nature can Transform Technology |publisher=Icon Books |year=2023 |isbn=978-1785789892 |edition=1st}}
• {{cite book |title=Ten Days in Physics that Shook the World: How Physicists Transformed Everyday Life |publisher=Icon Books |year=2021 |isbn=978-1785787478}}
• {{cite book | title=How it All Works: All Scientific Laws and Phenomena Illustrated and Demonstrated | publisher=Ivy Press | year=2021 | isbn=978-0711256781 }}
• {{cite book | title=Essential Science| publisher=Welbeck | year=2020|

isbn=978-1787394469 }}

• {{cite book | title=Professor Maxwell's Duplicitous Demon: The Life and Science of James Clerk Maxwell | publisher=Icon Books | year=2019 | isbn=978-1785784958 }}
• Scientifica Historica : How the world's great science books chart the history of knowledge. Ivy Press. 2019. ISBN 978-1-78240-878-9.
• {{cite book | title=Gravitational Waves: How Einstein's spacetime ripples reveal the secrets of the universe | publisher=Icon Books | year=2018 | isbn=978-1785783203 }}
• {{cite book | title=Are Numbers Real? the Uncanny Relationship of Mathematics and the Physical World | publisher=St. Martin's Press | year=2017 | isbn=978-1250081049 }}
• {{cite book | title=How Many Moons Does the Earth Have? | publisher=Icon Books | year=2015 | isbn=978-1-84831-928-8 }}
• {{cite book | title=Ten Billion Tomorrows | publisher=St Martin's Press | year=2015 | isbn=978-1-250-05785-3 }}
• {{cite book | title=Science for Life | publisher=Icon Books | year=2015 | isbn=978-1-84831-818-2 }}
• {{cite book | title=Final Frontier: The Pioneering Science and Technology of Exploring the Universe | publisher=St. Martin's Press | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-250-03943-9 }}
• {{cite book | title=The Quantum Age | publisher=Icon Books | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-84831-664-5 }}
• {{cite book | title=Extra Sensory | publisher=St. Martin's Press | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-250-01906-6 | url=https://archive.org/details/extrasensoryscie0000cleg | url-access=registration }}
• {{cite book | title=Dice World: Science and Life in a Random Universe | publisher=Icon Books | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-84831-516-7 }}
• {{cite book | title=Gravity: How the Weakest Force in the Universe Shaped Our Lives | publisher=St. Martin's Press | year=2012 | isbn=978-0-312-61629-8 }}
• {{cite book | title=Introducing Infinity | publisher=Icon Books | year=2012 | isbn=978-1-84831-406-1 | title-link=Introducing... (book series) }}
• {{cite book | title=The Universe Inside You | publisher=Icon Books | year=2012 | isbn=978-1-84831-353-8 }}
• {{cite book | title=Exploring the Universe | publisher=Vivays Publishing | year=2012 | isbn=978-1-908126-16-0 }}
• {{cite book | title=How to Build a Time Machine | publisher=St. Martin's Press | year=2011 | isbn=978-0-312-65688-1 }} UK edition: {{cite book | title=Build Your Own Time Machine | publisher=Duckworth Publishing | year=2012 | isbn=978-0-7156-4290-0 }}
• {{cite book | title=Inflight Science | publisher=Icon Books | year=2011 | isbn=978-1-84831-241-8 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/inflightscienceg0000cleg }}
• {{cite book | title=Armageddon Science | publisher=St Martin's Press | year=2010 | isbn=978-0-312-59894-5 | url=https://archive.org/details/armageddonscienc0000cleg | url-access=registration }}
• {{cite book | title=Before the Big Bang | publisher=St Martin's Press | year=2009 | isbn=978-0-312-68028-2 | url=https://archive.org/details/beforebigbangpre0000cleg | url-access=registration }}
• {{cite book | title=Ecologic | publisher=Eden Project Books | year=2009 | isbn=978-1-905811-25-0 }}
• {{cite book | title=Upgrade Me | publisher=St Martin's Press | year=2008 | isbn=978-0-312-37157-9 | url=https://archive.org/details/upgrademeouramaz00cleg| url-access=registration }}
• {{cite book | title=Getting Science | publisher=Routledge | year=2007 | isbn=978-0-415-42199-7 }}
• {{cite book | title=The Global Warming Survival Kit | publisher=Doubleday | year=2007 | isbn=978-0-385-61260-9 }}
• {{cite book | title=The Man Who Stopped Time| publisher=Joseph Henry Press | year=2007| isbn=978-0-309-10112-7| url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780309101127 | url-access=registration }}
• {{cite book | title=The God Effect | publisher=St Martin's Press | year=2006 | isbn=978-0312343415 | url=https://archive.org/details/godeffectquantum00cleg | url-access=registration }}
• {{cite book | title=A Brief History of Infinity | publisher=Constable & Robinson | year=2003 | isbn=1-84119-650-9 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofin0000cleg }}
• {{cite book | title=The First Scientist | publisher=Constable & Robinson | year=2003 | isbn=1-84119-618-5 }}{{cite news|author=Woolley, Benjamin|authorlink=Benjamin Woolley|title=Review: The First Scientist by Brian Clegg|date=16 May 2003|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/may/17/featuresreviews.guardianreview10}}
• {{cite book | title=Light Years | publisher=Piatkus | year=2001 | isbn=0-7499-2197-8 }} new edition: {{cite book | title=Light Years | publisher=Icon Books | year=2015 | isbn=978-1-84831-814-4 }}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.brianclegg.net Brian Clegg's website]
• [http://brianclegg.blogspot.com/ Brian Clegg's blog]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070818102450/http://www.popularscience.co.uk/features/feat14.htm Feynman got it wrong] article by Clegg on Roger Bacon's place in the history of science
• [http://keeperofthesnails.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/interview-with-brian-clegg.html Interview with Brian Clegg on Keeper of the Snails]
• [http://lccn.loc.gov/no96064390 Brian Clegg]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at Library of Congress Authorities – with 30 catalogue records

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clegg, Brian}}

Category:1955 births

Category:Living people

Category:Writers from Rochdale

Category:English science writers

Category:People educated at Manchester Grammar School

Category:Alumni of Lancaster University

Category:Alumni of Bowland College, Lancaster

Category:Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge