Max Adams

Last updated

Max Adams is a British author, archaeologist., [1] [2] television presenter, and woodsman. [3] [4] His books cover a wide range of subjects from British history, [5] to Arboriculture, and even his own novel. He currently manages his own young woodland in the north of England and has set up a not-for-profit partnership called "Woods for the Trees", which aims to bring together: people who would like to help cultivate healthy woodlands, with unused land that needs people's input and time. [6] Adams also co-founded, and helps to organise, an archaeological adult-education program called "The Bernician Studies Group" who, among other pursuits, have performed an archaeological survey of monastic sites in Donegal [7]

Contents

Life and career

Early life

Max was born in 1961 in London, to Warwick and Thelma Adams. As a boy, he lived and went to school in Twickenham. Max then moved north to study Archaeology at the University of York which led to his early career as an archaeologist. [8] One of the excavations he was involved in was at Christchurch, Spitalfields; [9] the findings of which he co-wrote and were published by the Council of British Archaeology. Afterwards, he spent several years as director of Archaeological Services at Durham University.

TV presenter

After moving to the north-east of England, Max began presenting documentaries for ITV's local television channel - Tyne Tees. Max wrote and presented "Heroes of the revolution" in 2003 which covered some of the north's industrial pioneers. In 2005, Max wrote and presented "Trafalgar's forgotten Hero"; a documentary about Newcastle born Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, which accompanied his first major historical book publication [10] [11]

Literary work

Historical publications

Along with his work in TV, Max has written a number of historical works. Starting with "Admiral Collingwood: Nelson's own hero", [12] a biography of Cuthbert Collingwood, who led the charge at the naval battle of Trafalgar. The book was published in 2005 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson and was then later reprinted by the publishers - Head of Zeus. Max was awarded a Churchill fellowship to support his travels required to research the life of the admiral [8] [13]

Following on from his first biography, Max then went on to write "The Prometheans: John Martin and the generation that stole the future", [14] [15] a look into the life and times of painter John Martin, as well a whole cast of other radical thinking men and women from the late 18th century. [16] [17] The Prometheans was published by Quercus in 2010 and was named a Guardian book of the week. Max also received an Elizabeth Longford award in aid of his research. [8]

Max has also written a series of books centered on Dark Age Britain published by Head of Zeus; starting with "The King in the North: The life and times of Oswald of Northumbria", [18] [19] a biography of the Northumbrian king - Oswald. [20] The King in the North was published in 2013 and was followed by "In the Land of Giants: Journey through the dark ages" in 2014, [21] a book in which Max recounts his travels across Britain and links his experiences to the land's Dark Age past. [22] For the book, Max was awarded a Roger Deakin award to support his research. [8] In 2017, "Ælfred's Britain: War and peace in the Viking age" was published; a history of the British peoples during the period throughout which Viking raids and Invasions were common. [23] Most recently in the series, published in 2021, is the book "The First Kingdom: Britain in the age of Arthur", [24] which investigates post-Roman Britain and the political struggles within it. [25] [26] [27] [28]

In 2018, Head of Zeus also published Max's study of important women throughout history called "Unquiet Women: From the Dusk of the Roman Empire to the Dawn of the Enlightenment". [29] [30] The book covers a range of historical women: from Anglo-Saxon noblewoman Wynflæd to Mary Astell, the 17th century author and philosopher.

Max has also published a number of books relating to trees and woodlands. In "The Wisdom of Trees", [31] published by Head of Zeus in 2014, [32] is a sequence of essays, anecdotes and profiles of Britain's best-loved tree species, as well as humans' relationship with wood throughout history. Max also has written a book called "The Little Book of Planting Trees" which aims to serve as an informative and practical guide to tree planting. [33] In 2019, Head of Zeus also published Max's most recent book on trees - "Trees of Life", a collection of texts covering many tree species and varieties [34]

The Ambulist

In 2016 Max published his own novel, The Ambulist, under his own publishing company - Beat and Track [35] . The thriller is centred on a mysterious figure who roams the Northumbrian countryside, pursued by people from his past. The book also contains illustrations by his mother, Thelma.

Woodland management

Max has owned and managed multiple woodlands since moving to the north of England. Currently, he has an 8-acre plantation of native broadleaves near to his home in County Durham. [36] [37] He is an active campaigner for the planting and studying of trees and woodlands. He recently helped set up a non-profit organisation called "Woods for the Trees" which describes itself as a "match-making service" for people who own unused or unproductive land, with people who would be eager to raise and manage small woodlands or orchards. [6]

List of publications [38] [39]

TV appearances [43]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prometheus</span> Titan, culture hero, and trickster figure in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Prometheus is one of the Titans and a god of fire. Prometheus is best known for defying the Olympian gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, knowledge, and more generally, civilization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Trafalgar</span> 1805 British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars

The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Lantern</span> Multiple superheroes from the DC universe

Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, and the electromagnetic spectrum of emotional willpower. The characters are typically depicted as members of the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic law enforcement agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernicia</span> Early medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom in northeast England (6th century – 654)

Bernicia was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom established by Anglian settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern Scotland and North East England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akeman Street</span> Roman road in southern England

Akeman Street is a Roman road in southern England between the modern counties of Hertfordshire and Gloucestershire. It is approximately 117 kilometres (73 mi) long and runs roughly east–west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood</span> Royal Navy admiral (1748–1810)

Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood was an admiral of the Royal Navy, notable as a partner with Lord Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars, and frequently as Nelson's successor in commands.

HMS <i>Royal Sovereign</i> (1786) Ship of the line of the Royal Navy

HMS Royal Sovereign was a 100-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, which served as the flagship of Admiral Collingwood at the Battle of Trafalgar. She was the third of seven Royal Navy ships to bear the name. She was launched at Plymouth Dockyard on 11 September 1786, at a cost of £67,458, and was the only ship built to her design. Because of the high number of Northumbrians on board the crew were known as the Tars of the Tyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. G. Collingwood</span> English author, artist, antiquary and professor of Fine Arts (1854–1932)

William Gershom Collingwood was an English author, artist, antiquary and professor of Fine Arts at University College, Reading. A long-term resident of Coniston, Cumbria, he was President of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian Society and the Lake Artists' Society.

The Trafalgar Way is the name given to the historic route used to carry dispatches with the news of the Battle of Trafalgar overland from Falmouth to the Admiralty in London. The first messenger in November 1805 was Lieutenant John Richards Lapenotière, of HMS Pickle, who reached Falmouth on 4 November after a hard voyage in bad weather. He then raced to London bearing the dispatches containing the momentous news of Lord Nelson's victory and death in the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trafalgar Cemetery</span> Cemetery in Gibraltar

The Trafalgar Cemetery is a cemetery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Formerly known as the Southport Ditch Cemetery, it occupies a small area of land just to the south of the city walls, in what had been a defensive ditch during the period of Spanish rule of Gibraltar. Although it is named for the Battle of Trafalgar of 21 October 1805, only two victims of the battle are buried there. The remainder of the interments are mostly of those killed in other sea battles or casualties of the yellow fever epidemics that swept Gibraltar between 1804 and 1814. In addition, tombstones were transferred to the Trafalgar Cemetery from St. Jago's Cemetery and Alameda Gardens.

<i>Gibraltar Chronicle</i> Daily newspaper

The Gibraltar Chronicle is a national newspaper published in Gibraltar since 1801. It became a daily in 1821. It is Gibraltar's oldest established daily newspaper and the world's second oldest English language newspaper to have been in print continuously. Its editorial offices are at Watergate House, and the print works are in the New Harbours industrial estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sevenhampton, Gloucestershire</span> Human settlement in England

Sevenhampton is a village and civil parish in Cotswold District, Gloucestershire. The parish is located in the Cotswolds in an area designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Most of the parish population reside in the two main settlements of Sevenhampton village and Brockhampton village, both are located in the valley of the River Coln.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thynghowe</span> Ancient open-air assembly place

Thynghowe was an important Viking Age open-air assembly place or thing, located at Sherwood Forest, in Nottinghamshire, England. It was lost to history until its rediscovery in 2005 by the husband and wife team of Stuart Reddish and Lynda Mallett, local history enthusiasts.

The 1805 Club was founded in 1990 to accomplish three objectives. To assist in the preservation of monuments and memorials relating to Vice- Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson and seafarers of the Georgian era. To promote research into the Royal Navy of the Georgian period, and especially of Vice Admiral Lord Nelson. To organize cultural and historical events.

William Prowse CB was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Rising from humble origins and joining the navy as an able seaman, he had a highly active career, serving under some of the most famous naval commanders of the age of sail, and participating in some of their greatest victories. He was at Grenada and Martinique under Byron and Rodney, the Glorious First of June under Howe; and commanded ships at Cape St Vincent under Jervis, Cape Finisterre under Calder and Trafalgar under Nelson. He finished his career by serving with distinction in the Mediterranean, and died with the rank of Rear-Admiral.

HMS <i>Mediator</i> (1782) Fifth-rate of the Royal Navy

HMS Mediator was a Roebuck-class 44-gun fifth rate of the Royal Navy. She was built and served during the American War of Independence, but was reduced to a storeship and renamed HMS Camel in 1788. She spent the French Revolutionary and part of the Napoleonic Wars in this capacity before being broken up in 1810.

HMS <i>Victory</i> 1765 first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy

HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was ordered in 1758, laid down in 1759, and launched in 1765. With 246 years of service as of 2024, she is the world's oldest naval vessel still in commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Jones (writer)</span> British historian and journalist

Daniel Gwynne Jones is a British popular historian, TV presenter, and journalist. He was educated at The Royal Latin School, a state grammar school in Buckingham, before attending Pembroke College, Cambridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collingwood Monument</span> Monument in Tynemouth, UK

The Collingwood Monument is a Grade II* listed monument in Tynemouth, England, dedicated to Vice Admiral Lord Cuthbert Collingwood. A Napoleonic-era admiral noted for being second-in-command to Admiral Lord Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar, Collingwood is sometimes referred to as the forgotten hero of Trafalgar. The monument's base is by John Dobson and the statue is a work of the sculptor John Graham Lough. It is situated just off Front Street in Tynemouth and overlooks the mouth of the River Tyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knock y Doonee</span> Historic monument site on the Isle of Man

Knock y Doonee is a significant historical and archaeological site in the parish of Andreas on the northern coast of the Isle of Man. The site has been in ritual use for centuries. Archaeological excavations have uncovered a Christian keeill with a bilingual ogham stone and a Christian carved stone cross; and on a nearby hilltop a Viking Age boat burial.

References

  1. ↑ "How One Anglo-Saxon Boy Changed the Course of English History". DigVentures. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  2. ↑ "Max Adams' Talk". Visit Northumberland. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  3. ↑ "Max Adams". The Royal Literary Fund. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  4. ↑ "Max Adams". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  5. ↑ "Max Adams Talk 14 July 2021". Bailiffgate Museum Alnwick. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  6. 1 2 "Woods for the Trees". Woods for the Trees. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  7. ↑ "Bernician Studies Group" . Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "The Ambulist | the website for author Max Adams" . Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  9. ↑ "Christ Church, Spitalfields: investigations of the burial crypt 1984-1986". Archaeology Data Service. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  10. ↑ "Max Adams - LinkedIn".
  11. ↑ "Max Adams". sheil-land. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  12. ↑ "Literary Review - For People Who Devour Books". Literary Review. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  13. ↑ "Admiral Collingwood".
  14. ↑ Seymour, Miranda (2009-03-07). "Review: The Firebringers by Max Adams". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  15. ↑ "The Firebringers, By Max Adams" . The Independent. 2013-11-26. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  16. ↑ Adams, Max (9 May 2013). The Prometheans. Quercus. ISBN   9781849167086.
  17. ↑ "Max Adams | History Today". www.historytoday.com. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  18. ↑ "Book review: The King in the North: The Life and Times of Oswald of" . The Independent. 2013-10-25. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  19. ↑ "The King in the North (2005): Max Adams". The Idle Woman. 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  20. ↑ "King in the North".
  21. ↑ "In the Land of Giants by Max Adams: the Dark Ages illuminated". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  22. ↑ "In the land of giants".
  23. ↑ "Aelfreds Britain".
  24. ↑ "The Dark Ages: a 'black hole' in Britain's history". HistoryExtra. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  25. ↑ "First Kingdom".
  26. ↑ Holland, Tom. "The First Kingdom by Max Adams, review — the mysterious age of Arthur". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  27. ↑ "The First Kingdom - virtual author event with Max Adams". Eventbrite. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  28. ↑ "Review – The First Kingdom: Britain in the Age of Arthur". Current Archaeology. 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  29. ↑ "Unquiet women".
  30. ↑ "A female history: Review – Unquiet Women, by Max Adams". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  31. ↑ "The Wisdom of Trees by Max Adams, book review: An obscure branch of" . The Independent. 2014-10-08. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  32. ↑ "Wisdom of trees".
  33. ↑ "Little book of planting trees".
  34. ↑ "Trees of life".
  35. ↑ "The Ambulist". 11 August 2016.
  36. ↑ "Meet the team". Woods for the Trees. 2020-04-23. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  37. ↑ Ough, Tom (2020-03-01). "I dreamed of bringing up my son in a forest... and now I'm growing a wood of my own". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  38. ↑ "Max Adams - publications". www.amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  39. ↑ ThriftBooks. "Max Adams Books | List of books by author Max Adams". ThriftBooks. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  40. ↑ "Give Me More! Max Adams' The Viking Wars". Concerning History. 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  41. ↑ September 2019, HistoryNet Staff (2019-07-31). "Book Review: The Viking Wars". HistoryNet. Retrieved 2021-05-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  42. ↑ "The Viking Wars by Max Adams". Open Letters Review. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  43. ↑ "Max Adams". BFI. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.