Ladybird Expert

Last updated
Ladybird Expert
LadybirdExpertCovers.jpg
Cover images from series

CountryEngland
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Ladybird Books
Published2017–present
Media typeHardback
Preceded by Ladybird for Grown Ups

The Ladybird Expert books (series 117) is a series of titles for an adult readership intended to provide clear, accessible and authoritative introductions, informed by expert opinion, to key subjects drawn from science, history and culture.

Contents

The books, which feature the first new classic Ladybird artworks for 40 years, [1] have a "50/50" split between text and illustration with the latter ranging from literal interpretations of the complex subjects, to more surreal, abstract representations. [2]

History

Penguin Books revived the Ladybird Books brand, which had achieved iconic status publishing 646 classic pocket-sized mini-hardback children's books between the 1940s and the 1980s, in 2015 with a series of spoof books called Ladybird for Grown Ups which paired classic illustrations with new text written by TV comedy writers Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris to great commercial success. [1]

Penguin's Publishing Director Rowland White has stated that following this success, they were already thinking about a new series of factual books for adults by experts on science, history and arts subjects, when they were contacted by the staff of Charles, Prince of Wales suggesting a book on climate change in the traditional Ladybird style. [3]

Responding to questions about the choice of the title Ladybird Experts at a time of increased anti-intellectualism, White stated:

I am of the view expertise is a good thing and, I suppose, we weren't unaware of the way in which the term 'expert' has become almost a prerogative term in some quarters over the last year or so. I wouldn't go so far as to say we were trying to reclaim the world expert, but our view is expertise in a subject is a good thing and if you want to gain a greater understanding of something then your best course of action is to try and learn from an expert rather than from a Google search. [4]

The project, which was led by Penguin's Creative Director of Brands and Licensing Ronnie Fairweather, [2] resulted in a new series of books, featuring the first new Ladybird style illustrations in 40 years, which began in January 2017 with the publication of the first three titles.

Selected Titles

Climate Change

Climate Change
Author Charles, Prince of Wales, Tony Juniper and Emily Shuckburgh
IllustratorRuth Palmer
LanguageEnglish
SeriesLadybird Expert
Subject Climate change
Publisher Ladybird Books
Publication date
26 January 2017
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint
ISBN 0718185854

Climate Change is a 2017 study guide to climate change written by Charles, Prince of Wales, Tony Juniper and Emily Shuckburgh, and illustrated by Ruth Palmer. The volume, according to the publisher's website, explains the history, dangers and challenges of global warming and explores possible solutions with which to reduce its impact. [5] The book was listed at number three in The Sunday Times bestseller list upon release. [6]

The idea for the book came from Charles' friend Nicholas Soames, who, following the Prince's address on to world leaders at the opening session of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, pointed out the need for a guide to the subject in plain English. [7]

Charles contacted environmental campaigner and writer Tony Juniper, who had been a special adviser to the Prince of Wales Charities' International Sustainability Unit and the Prince's Rainforests Project, whose wife suggested the Ladybird Book format for the project. [7]

Juniper and Shuckburg, who are both based in Cambridge and work for the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, of which Charles is the patron, spent nine months working on the project. Juniper credits his own career choice to the Ladybird Nature series books he read as a child. [7]

At the insistence of the authors, the draft was submitted to the Royal Meteorological Society for peer review under the editorship of the chairman of its climate science special interest group David Warrilow. [7] [8] The Guardian's associate culture editor Claire Armistead dismisses this as comic pomposity that could pass for a spoof itself. [1] The review board amended some of the more assertive language, according to Rowland White, [3] and the society also hosts an online annex to the book containing an updated list of references at https://www.rmets.org/ladybird-annex/.

Concerns that Charles, who as heir apparent to the British throne should maintain political neutrality, writing a book about a potentially sensitive issue could be controversial proved largely unfounded. Some politicians expressed criticism, including Peter Lilley, of the Conservative Party who stated that Charles was reflecting the view that climate change denial was outside the bounds of acceptable behavior, while others politicians offered commendation, including Nicholas Soames, of the Conservative Party, who had first suggested the project, and Vince Cable, of the Liberal Democrats, who saw no problem with Charles writing about a subject which had public and scientific consensus.[ citation needed ]

The timing of the release, which coincided with the inauguration of Donald Trump as US President was seen by Tom Batchelor, writing for The Independent as provocative. [9] Juniper has stated that he hopes a copy of the book ends up in the hands of Trump so that he has a chance to review his views on the topic. [7]

Ravensbourne University London's dean of design Prof. Lawrence Zeegen states that the use of the aesthetics of the 50s and 60s to draw attention to an urgent 21st century issue results in what appears to be an endorsement of the reactionary views on society commonly attributed to Charles. [1]

Artwork from the book was included in the first exhibition in The Ladybird Gallery at the Museum of English Rural Life, of which Charles is a patron, which ran from March 11 to July 2, 2017. [10]

Quantum Mechanics

Quantum Mechanics
Author Jim Al-Khalili
IllustratorJeff Cummins and Dan Newman
LanguageEnglish
SeriesLadybird Expert
Subject Quantum mechanics
Publisher Ladybird Books
Publication date
26 January 2017
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint
ISBN 0718186273

Quantum Mechanics is a 2017 study guide to quantum mechanics written by Jim Al-Khalili and illustrated by Jeff Cummins and Dan Newman. The volume, according to the publisher's website, explores all the key players, breakthroughs, controversies and unanswered questions of the quantum world. [11] The book was listed at number five in the Sunday Times bestseller list upon release. [6]

Al-Khalili, who was first introduced to Ladybird books by his British mother during his childhood in Iraq, [7] compared his subject with the others in the new series stating:

It’s clearly not the same as climate change, I am not on a moral crusade. But I would say quantum mechanics is on a par with evolution. We wouldn’t have health and medicine and agriculture without understanding Darwin’s theory of evolution. Similarly I wouldn’t be talking to you on my mobile phone without quantum mechanics. [7]

Commenting on the difficulty of producing a summary of the world's most complicated science in 50 heavily illustrated pages, Jim Al-Khalili stated:

Readers of the book will most certainly not come away understanding quantum mechanics – even I am confused by it and I have dedicated the past 30 years of my life to the subject – but they will at least know why it’s confusing and will have some great dinner-party facts to sound clever with. [1]

Illustrator Jeff Cummins described the process of working on the book as "very collaborative" and added that, "[he] enjoyed the experience liaising with the author and the creative director, figuring out how to illustrate quantum theories and generally trying to get [his] head around quantum mechanics". [2]

The Guardian's associate culture editor Claire Armistead points to the full-page illustration of a joke about the sponsorship of Denmark's Niels Bohr Institute by a well-known lager brewer as and example of the series' sly tongue-in-cheek humour. [1]

British journalist and critic John Crace published a pastiche of the book in his Digested Read column for The Guardian . [12]

Evolution

Evolution is a 2017 study guide to evolution written by Steve Jones and illustrated by Rowan Clifford. The volume, according to the publisher's website, explores the extraordinary diversity of life on our planet through the complex interactions of one very simple theory, [13] and, according to its author, goes from foxes to human frailty. [14]

Jones has stated creationists, including the then US Vice President Mike Pence do not know what Charles Darwin's ideas actually were and that his intention in the book is to reveal the bare bones of this theory. [14]

Jones, who has stated that Ladybird books were not a feature of his childhood in Welsh speaking Aberystwyth, says that he is using the book, which is for both schoolchildren and grown-ups, [14] as the textbook for his first-year evolution course at University College London. [7]

The Guardian's associate culture editor Claire Armistead points to the final picture of the book's Guardian-reading author being hoisted aloft by an extremely well-endowed chimp as and example of the series' sly tongue-in-cheek humour. [1]

List of Titles

#TitleWriter(s)Illustrator(s)Publication DateISBN
1Climate Change Charles, Prince of Wales, Tony Juniper and Emily Shuckburgh Ruth Palmer26 January 2017 978-0-7181-8585-5
2Quantum Mechanics Jim Al-Khalili Jeff Cummins and Dan Newman26 January 2017 978-0-7181-8627-2
3Evolution Steve Jones Rowan Clifford26 January 2017 978-0-7181-8628-9
4Plate Tectonics Iain Stewart Ruth Palmer22 March 2018 978-0-7181-8718-7
5Exoplanets Maggie Aderin-Pocock TBA 978-0-7181-8726-2
6Shackleton Ben Saunders Rowan Clifford1 June 2017 978-0-7181-8727-9
7The Battle of Britain James Holland Keith Burns1 June 2017 978-0-7181-8629-6
8Blitzkrieg James Holland Keith Burns22 March 2018 978-0-7181-8630-2
9Battle of the Atlantic James Holland Keith Burns22 March 2018 978-0-7181-8631-9
10Desert War James Holland Keith Burns12 July 2018 978-0-7181-8650-0
11The Eastern Front 1941-43 James Holland Keith Burns1 November 2018 978-0-7181-8651-7
12The Pacific War 1941-43 James Holland Keith Burns26 December 2019 978-0-7181-8652-4
13The Bomber War James Holland Keith Burns26 November 2020 978-0-7181-8653-1
14The War in Italy James Holland Keith Burns1 April 2021 978-0-7181-8654-8
20Twentieth-Century Classical Music Fiona Maddocks Jeff Cummins12 July 2018 978-0-7181-8786-6
21Æthelflæd: England's Forgotten Founder Tom Holland Colin Shearing7 February 2019 978-0-7181-8826-9
23Genetics Adam Rutherford Ruth Palmer14 June 2018 978-0-7181-8827-6
24Bubbles Helen Czerski Chris Moore1 November 2018 978-0-7181-8829-0
25Timbuktu Gus Casely-Hayford Angelo Rinaldi22 March 2018 978-0-7181-8910-5
26Beowulf Janina Ramirez Martyn Pick5 September 2019 978-0-7181-8973-0
27Artificial Intelligence Michael Wooldridge Stephen Player22 March 2018 978-0-7181-8875-7
28Battle of Trafalgar Sam Willis Paul Young27 June 2019 978-0-7181-8873-3
29Consciousness Hannah Critchlow Stephen Player14 June 2018 978-0-7181-8911-2
30The Spanish Armada Sam Willis Paul Young14 June 2018 978-0-7181-8857-3
31Nuclear Deterrence Lawrence Freedman Duncan Smith4 October 2018 978-0-7181-8889-4
32Octopuses Helen Scales Alan Male21 March 2019 978-0-7181-8909-9
33Armageddon Joann Fletcher TBA 978-0-7181-8883-2
34Plato's Republic Angie Hobbs Angelo Rinaldi7 February 2019 978-0-7181-8852-8
35The Battle of The Nile Sam Willis Paul Young7 February 2019 978-0-7181-8858-0
36Witchcraft Suzannah Lipscomb Martyn Pick4 October 2018 978-0-7181-8843-6
37Human Origins Alice Roberts TBA 978-0-7181-8813-9
38Homer Daisy Dunn Angelo Rinaldi5 September 2019 978-0-7181-8828-3
39PainIrene TraceyStephen Player26 November 2020 978-0-241-34553-5
Big Bang Marcus Chown Chris Moore22 March 2018 978-0-7181-8784-2
Gravity Jim Al-Khalili Jeff Cummins7 February 2019 978-0-7181-8903-7

Reception

Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights' founder Nic Bottomley stated that the books in this series were very different from previous retro-books for adults and that they looked like great access points to complex subjects from some brilliant writers. [1]

Ravensbourne University London's dean of design Prof. Lawrence Zeegen criticized the quality of the illustrations, stating that while a reasonable attempt at replicating the originals, they were not as good as those that were produced for the original series by artists working in an idiom that was, at the time, modern. He concludes that the use of the no longer contemporary style feels patronizing in a way the original books never did. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Many-worlds interpretation</span> Interpretation of quantum mechanics

The many-worlds interpretation (MWI) is a philosophical position about how the mathematics used in quantum mechanics relates to physical reality. It asserts that the universal wavefunction is objectively real, and that there is no wave function collapse. This implies that all possible outcomes of quantum measurements are physically realized in some "world" or universe. In contrast to some other interpretations of quantum mechanics, the evolution of reality as a whole in MWI is rigidly deterministic and local. Many-worlds is also called the relative state formulation or the Everett interpretation, after physicist Hugh Everett, who first proposed it in 1957. Bryce DeWitt popularized the formulation and named it many-worlds in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armistead Maupin</span> American writer

Armistead Jones Maupin, Jr. is an American writer notable for Tales of the City, a series of novels set in San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlo Rovelli</span> Italian theoretical physicist and writer (born 1956)

Carlo Rovelli is an Italian theoretical physicist and writer who has worked in Italy, the United States, France and, since 2020, in Canada. He is also currently a Distinguished Visiting Research Chair at the Perimeter Institute, core member of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy of Western University in Canada, and Fractal Faculty of the Santa Fe Institute in The United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladybird Books</span> British childrens book series

Ladybird Books is a London-based publishing company, trading as a stand-alone imprint within the Penguin Group of companies. The Ladybird imprint publishes mass-market children's books.

<i>A Short History of Nearly Everything</i> 2003 book by Bill Bryson

A Short History of Nearly Everything by American-British author Bill Bryson is a popular science book that explains some areas of science, using easily accessible language that appeals more to the general public than many other books dedicated to the subject. It was one of the bestselling popular science books of 2005 in the United Kingdom, selling over 300,000 copies.

<i>After Man</i> Book by the Scottish geologist and author Dougal Dixon

After Man: A Zoology of the Future is a 1981 speculative evolution book written by Scottish geologist and palaeontologist Dougal Dixon and illustrated by several illustrators including Diz Wallis, John Butler, Brian McIntyre, Philip Hood, Roy Woodard and Gary Marsh. The book features a foreword by Desmond Morris. After Man explores a hypothetical future set 50 million years after extinction of humanity, a time period Dixon dubs the "Posthomic", which is inhabited by animals that have evolved from survivors of a mass extinction succeeding our own time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnjoe McFadden</span> Anglo-Irish scientist, academic and writer

Johnjoe McFadden is an Anglo-Irish scientist, academic and writer. He is Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Surrey, United Kingdom.

<i>The Quantum Rose</i> 2000 novel by Catherine Asaro

The Quantum Rose is a science fiction novel by Catherine Asaro which tells the story of Kamoj Argali and Skolian Prince Havyrl Valdoria. The book is situated within Asaro's Saga of the Skolian Empire series. The Quantum Rose won the 2001 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 2001 Affaire de Coeur Award for Best Science Fiction. Additionally, it received the Romantic Times Reviewers choice award for best science fiction novel. The first third of the novel appeared as a three-part serialization in Analog magazine in the 1999 May, June, and July/August issues. In 2000, Tor Books published the novel in its entirety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quantum mysticism</span> Pseudo-science purporting to build on the principles of quantum mechanics

Quantum mysticism, sometimes referred pejoratively to as quantum quackery or quantum woo, is a set of metaphysical beliefs and associated practices that seek to relate consciousness, intelligence, spirituality, or mystical worldviews to the ideas of quantum mechanics and its interpretations. Quantum mysticism is considered pseudoscience and quackery by quantum mechanics experts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Wingfield</span>

John Henry "Harry" Wingfield was an English illustrator, best known for his drawings that illustrated the Ladybird Books Key Words Reading Scheme in the 1960s through to the 1980s, which sold over 80 million copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Juniper</span> British writer, environmentalist and conservationist

Anthony Juniper is a British campaigner, writer, sustainability adviser and environmentalist who served as Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. He was Vice Chair of Friends of the Earth International from 2000 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Al-Khalili</span> British theoretical physicist, author and broadcaster

Jameel Sadik "Jim" Al-Khalili is an Iraqi-British theoretical physicist, author and broadcaster. He is professor of theoretical physics and chair in the public engagement in science at the University of Surrey. He is a regular broadcaster and presenter of science programmes on BBC radio and television, and a frequent commentator about science in other British media.

<i>Quantum Aspects of Life</i> Articles and debates on quantum theory and life, circa 2003-2004

Quantum Aspects of Life, a book published in 2008 with a foreword by Roger Penrose, explores the open question of the role of quantum mechanics at molecular scales of relevance to biology. The book contains chapters written by various world-experts from a 2003 symposium and includes two debates from 2003 to 2004; giving rise to a mix of both sceptical and sympathetic viewpoints. The book addresses questions of quantum physics, biophysics, nanoscience, quantum chemistry, mathematical biology, complexity theory, and philosophy that are inspired by the 1944 seminal book What Is Life? by Erwin Schrödinger.

<i>Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World</i> 2010 book by Charles III

Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World is a 2010 book written by Charles III, with Tony Juniper and Ian Skelly. The book focuses on the world's environment which includes climate change, architecture and agriculture. The book has been translated into many different languages. There is also a children's edition of Harmony.

In theoretical physics, the problem of time is a conceptual conflict between general relativity and quantum mechanics in that quantum mechanics regards the flow of time as universal and absolute, whereas general relativity regards the flow of time as malleable and relative. This problem raises the question of what time really is in a physical sense and whether it is truly a real, distinct phenomenon. It also involves the related question of why time seems to flow in a single direction, despite the fact that no known physical laws at the microscopic level seem to require a single direction.

The Secrets of Quantum Physics is a two-part British television series outlining the theories of quantum mechanics and quantum biology, described as "a brilliant guide" to a "jaw-dropping world".

Ian Skelly is a British writer, continuity announcer and BBC radio presenter. Born in Manchester, he grew up in West Lancashire and studied at Birmingham City University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Shuckburgh</span> Climate scientist

Emily Fleur Shuckburgh is a climate scientist, mathematician and science communicator. She is Director of Cambridge Zero, the University of Cambridge's climate change initiative, Academic Director of the Institute of Computing for Climate Science, and is a fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge. Her research interests include the dynamics of the atmosphere, oceans and climate and environmental data science. She is a theoretician, numerical modeller and observational scientist.

Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris are a British comedy writing duo. Their work includes a collection of parody Ladybird books, and they have written scripts for many British comedy series and films, including That Mitchell and Webb Look, Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe and the Paddington films.

<i>Climate Change</i> (childrens book)

Climate Change is a children's book co-authored by Charles III, the King of the United Kingdom, Tony Juniper, the Chair of Natural England, and climate scientist Emily Shuckburgh. The book is published by Ladybird Books and scheduled for release in March 2023. Aimed at those aged between seven and eleven, it discusses climate change and the various threats that face the environment. The book was launched at a reception held at Buckingham Palace on 17 February 2023, and attended by politicians, businesspeople and indigenous leaders from around the world.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Armitstead, Claire (2017-02-21). "The Ladybird phenomenon: the publishing craze that's still flying". The Guardian . Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  2. 1 2 3 Morris, Kat (2017-02-20). "Ladybird Expert series illustrations, by various". Design Week . Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  3. 1 2 Malvern, Jack (2017-01-16). "How it works: the Ladybird royal author". The Times . Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  4. Campbell, Lisa; Cowdrey, Katherine (2017-01-15). "Prince Charles pens climate change book for new Ladybird Expert series". The Bookseller . Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  5. "Climate Change (A Ladybird Expert Book)". penguin.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  6. 1 2 Times, The Sunday (2017-02-12). "Books: Bestsellers". The Times . Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Williams, Sally (2017-01-21). "Exclusive preview of a new Ladybird book co-written by Prince Charles about a subject close to his heart..." The Telegraph . Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  8. Davies, Caroline (2017-01-15). "Prince Charles pens Ladybird book on climate change". The Guardian . Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  9. Batchelor, Tom (2017-02-20). "Prince Charles makes climate change warning ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration". The Independent . Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  10. Morris, Kat (2017-03-01). "First permanent exhibition dedicated to Ladybird Books to open". Design Week . Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  11. "Quantum Mechanics (A Ladybird Expert Book)". penguin.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  12. Crace, John (2017-02-05). "Quantum Mechanics: A Ladybird Expert Book by Jim Al-Khalili – digested read". The Guardian . Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  13. "Evolution (A Ladybird Expert Book)". penguin.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  14. 1 2 3 Jones, Steve (2017-01-26). "I've got news for Mike Pence and his view on evolution, writes Steve Jones". Evening Standard . Retrieved 2018-12-08.