Derek Wilson

My blogs

About me

Gender Male
Occupation Author and broadcaster
Location Bideford, Devon, United Kingdom
Introduction I'm a full-time author and broadcaster and have been for 37 years. Before then I taught a bit, travelled a bit and amassed an impressive collection of publishers' rejection slips. My 'break' came when I was teaching in Kenya and a sudden secondary school syllabus change created an urgent need for a text book of national history. There weren't many history teachers with writing skills about and I got the job. That was some 50 books, dozens of radio and TV documentaries and innumerable press features ago. I developed my passion for history at school and Cambridge. As well as historical books, articles and programmes I have written a number of crime novels. In all my writing I have always regarded myself as primarily a story teller. I write about people and events that fascinate me in an attempt to share that fascination with others. I share with Hillaire Belloc the modest ambition, 'When I am dead, I hope it may be said, "His sins were scarlet but his books were read".'