Mark Anderson (writer)

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Mark Anderson (born August 13, 1967) is an American journalist and book author. He has written articles on science, history, and technology for a variety of national and international publications and media outlets. [1] He has a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in astrophysics. [1]

Contents

Anderson's first book, "Shakespeare" by Another Name (Gotham Books, 2005), supports the Oxfordian theory that the Elizabethan court poet-playwright Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford wrote the works conventionally attributed to William Shakespeare. The book is the first Oxfordian literary biography – connecting de Vere's life to Shakespeare's plays and poems. [2]

Anderson's second book, The Day the World Discovered the Sun (Da Capo Press, 2012), covers the historical adventures involved in, and the build-up surrounding, the 1761 and 1769 transits of Venus. The book details, in addition to the myriad far-flung voyages to record the transits, the critical leaps in progress made in oceanic navigation, and in astronomical calculations such as the precise distance from the earth to the sun, during this fruitful period. [3] [4] [5] [6] The book won the USA Best Book Award in the History: General category in 2013. [7]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship</span> Alternative Shakespeare authorship theory

The Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship contends that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and poems of William Shakespeare. While historians and literary scholars overwhelmingly reject alternative authorship candidates, including Oxford, public interest in the Oxfordian theory continues. Since the 1920s, the Oxfordian theory has been the most popular alternative Shakespeare authorship theory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Jacobi</span> English actor

Sir Derek George Jacobi is an English actor. A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a successful and distinguished stage career, appearing in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, King Lear, and Romeo and Juliet. He is also known for his performances in Anton Chekov's Uncle Vanya and Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac. He was given a knighthood for his services to theatre by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 and is a member of the Danish Order of the Dannebrog.

Oxfordian may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Oxford</span> Dormant title in the Peerage of England

Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, first created for Aubrey de Vere by the Empress Matilda in 1141. His family was to hold the title for more than five and a half centuries, until the death of the 20th Earl in 1703. The de Veres were also hereditary holders of the office of Master Chamberlain of England from 1133 until the death of the 18th Earl in 1625. Their primary seat was Hedingham Castle in Essex, but they held lands in southern England and the Midlands, particularly in eastern England. The actual earldom was called 'Oxenford' until at least the end of the 17th century. Medieval sources thus refer to 'my lord of Oxenford' when speaking of the earl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Thomas Looney</span> English school teacher (1870–1944)

John Thomas Looney (luni) was an English school teacher who is notable for having originated the Oxfordian theory, which claims that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550–1604) was the true author of Shakespeare's plays.

Charles Francis Topham de Vere Beauclerk, also styled Earl of Burford by courtesy, is a British aristocrat and heir to the peerage title of Duke of St Albans.

Alexander Evelyn Michael Waugh is an English writer, critic, and journalist. Among other books, he has written Fathers and Sons: The Autobiography of a Family (2004), about five generations of his own family, and The House of Wittgenstein: A Family at War (2008) about the Wittgenstein family. He is an advocate of the Oxfordian theory, which holds that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was the real author of the works of William Shakespeare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakespeare Fellowship</span> Special-interest organisation dedicated to the Oxfordian theory of Shakespearean Authorship

The Shakespeare Fellowship was the name used by an organisation devoted to the Shakespeare authorship question. Originally it sought to represent all alternatives to the mainstream consensus that William Shakespeare authored the plays attributed to him, but it later became strongly identified with Oxfordian theory: promoting Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, as the true author of the works of Shakespeare. The original organisation is now known as "The Shakespearean Authorship Trust".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Tudor theory</span> Theory

The Prince Tudor theory is a variant of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, which asserts that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was the true author of the works published under the name of William Shakespeare. The Prince Tudor variant holds that Oxford and Queen Elizabeth I were lovers and had a child who was raised as Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. The theory followed earlier arguments that Francis Bacon was a son of the queen. A later version of the theory, known as "Prince Tudor II" states that Oxford was himself a son of the queen, and thus the father of his own half-brother.

Charles Wisner Barrell was an American writer. He first became significant as an art critic, promoting realism. He later built a career as an early exponent of public relations and as a documentary film maker.

<i>Ashbourne portrait</i>

The Ashbourne portrait is one of several portraits that have been falsely identified as portrayals of William Shakespeare. At least 60 such works had been offered for sale to the National Portrait Gallery in the 19th century within the first forty years of its existence; the Ashbourne portrait was one of these. The portrait is now a part of the collection of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Shakespeare authorship question</span>

Note: In compliance with the accepted terminology used within the Shakespeare authorship question, this article uses the term "Stratfordian" to refer to the position that William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon was the primary author of the plays and poems traditionally attributed to him. The term "anti-Stratfordian" is used to refer to the theory that some other author, or authors, wrote the works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlton Greenwood Ogburn</span> American lawyer (1882–1962)

Charlton Greenwood Ogburn was a lawyer who served as a public official in various capacities from 1917 through to the 1930s. He was employed as legal counsel both for government bureaucracies and labor organizations. His most widely recognized work was undertaken as counsel for the American Federation of Labor in the 1930s.

<i>Anonymous</i> (2011 film) 2011 film by Roland Emmerich

Anonymous is a 2011 period drama film directed by Roland Emmerich and written by John Orloff. The film is a fictionalized version of the life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, an Elizabethan courtier, playwright, poet and patron of the arts, and suggests he was the actual author of William Shakespeare's plays. It stars Rhys Ifans as de Vere and Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Elizabeth I of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Vere Society</span>

The De Vere Society is a registered educational charity dedicated to the proposition that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was the author of the works of William Shakespeare. The society accepts there are many alternative views to this proposition and welcomes open debate. It was first registered as a society of Oxford University in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakespeare authorship question</span> Fringe theory that Shakespeares works were written by someone else

The Shakespeare authorship question is the argument that someone other than William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon wrote the works attributed to him. Anti-Stratfordians—a collective term for adherents of the various alternative-authorship theories—believe that Shakespeare of Stratford was a front to shield the identity of the real author or authors, who for some reason—usually social rank, state security, or gender—did not want or could not accept public credit. Although the idea has attracted much public interest, all but a few Shakespeare scholars and literary historians consider it a fringe theory, and for the most part acknowledge it only to rebut or disparage the claims.

Roger A. Stritmatter is a professor of Humanities at Coppin State University and the former general editor of Brief Chronicles, a delayed open access journal covering the Shakespeare authorship question from 2009 to 2016. He was a founder of the modern Shakespeare Fellowship, an organization that promotes Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, as the true author of the works of William Shakespeare. He is one of the leading modern-day advocates of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, and has been called the “first professional Oxfordian scholar”.

Percy Allen (1875–1959) was an English journalist, writer and lecturer most notable for his advocacy of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, and particularly for his creation of Prince Tudor theory, which claimed that the Earl of Oxford fathered a child with Queen Elizabeth I.

Bernard Mordaunt Ward was a British author and third-generation soldier most noted for his support of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship and writing the first documentary biography of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mark Anderson". Huffington Post . Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  2. Gingerich, Owen (May 17, 2012). "Astronomy: On the track of the transit". Nature . 485 (7398): 305–306. doi: 10.1038/485305a .
  3. Mirsky, Steve. "The Transit of Venus, Part 1". May 30, 2012. "The Transit of Venus, Part 2". May 31, 2012. ScientificAmerican.com .
  4. Dotinga, Randy. "How the transit of Venus opened the planet to our forefathers". The Christian Science Monitor . May 25, 2012.
  5. Cherry, Steven. "Transit of Venus: The Other Half of the Longitude Story". IEEE Spectrum . May 7, 2012.
  6. "Congratulations to all of the Winners & Finalists of The 2013 USA Best Book Awards!" (PDF). USABookNews.com. 2013. p. 38. Retrieved May 3, 2017.