Henderson, Harry 1951-

views updated

Henderson, Harry 1951-

PERSONAL:

Born January 5, 1951, in San Francisco, CA; son of Harley (in sales) and Jane Louise (a telephone operator) Henderson; married Lisa Yount (a writer and artist). Education: University of California, Berkeley, A.B., 1973. Hobbies and other interests: Science fiction, history.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—El Cerrito, CA. E-mail—hrh@well.com.

CAREER:

Freelance writer, El Cerrito, CA, 1984—.

MEMBER:

Association for Computing Machinery.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Books for the Teen Age citation, New York Public Library, 1997, for Modern Mathematicians; Outstanding Academic Title citation, Choice, 2001, for Gun Control.

WRITINGS:

(With Bart Anderson and Bryan Costales) Unix Communications, Waite Group Press (Indianapolis, IN), 1987, 2nd edition, 1991.

(With Kate O'Day and John Angermeyer) Waite Group Understanding MS-DOS, Waite Group Press (Indianapolis, IN), 1989.

(With Kate O'Day) Waite Group Discovering MS-DOS, Waite Group Press (Indianapolis, IN), 1990.

(With Robert Arneson and Christy Gemmel) Waite Group's MS-DOS QBasic Programmer's Reference, Waite Group Press (Indianapolis, IN), 1991.

(With Stephen Prata) Waite Group's Microsoft Quick-BASIC Primer Plus, Waite Group Press (Indianapolis, IN), 1991.

(With Rex Woollard and Robert LaFore) Waite Group's Master C++, Waite Group Press (Indianapolis, IN), 1991.

Waite Group Internet How-To, Waite Group Press (Indianapolis, IN), 1994.

Stephen Hawking, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1995.

Modern Mathematicians, Facts on File (New York, NY), 1996.

(With wife, Lisa Yount) Scientific Revolution, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1996.

Communications and Broadcasting, Facts on File (New York, NY), 1997, 2nd edition, 2006.

(With Lisa Yount) Twentieth Century Science, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1997.

The Internet, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Nuclear Physics, Facts on File (New York, NY), 1998.

Age of Napoleon, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1999.

Issues in the Information Age, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1999.

Career Opportunities in Computers and Cyberspace, Facts on File (New York, NY), 1999, 2nd edition, 2004.

Privacy in the Information Age, Facts on File (New York, NY), 1999, 2nd edition, 2006.

Gun Control, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2000, 2nd edition, 2005.

Capital Punishment, 2nd edition (Henderson was not associate with original edition), Facts on File (New York, NY), 2000, 3rd edition, 2006.

Nuclear Power: A Reference Handbook, American Bibliographical Center-Clio Press (Santa Barbara, CA), 2000.

Global Terrorism, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2001, 2nd edition, 2004.

Pioneers of the Internet, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2002.

A to Z of Computer Scientists, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2003.

Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2003, 2nd edition in press.

Terrorist Challenge to America, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2003.

Campaign and Election Reform, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2004.

Power of the News Media, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2004.

Computer Viruses, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2005.

Internet Predators, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2005.

Drug Abuse, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2005.

Modern Robotics, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2006.

Artificial Intelligence, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2006.

Mathematics: Powerful Patterns in Nature and Society, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Harry Henderson told CA: "As far back as I can remember, I've always been fascinated by patterns of information. As a child I spent many hours in the public library. I devoured science (both fact and fiction), history, and biography. As a young adult I worked in a bookstore and as a library assistant. Little did I know while I cataloged books that I would someday have dozens of entries of my own in the Library of Congress catalog!

"By the early 1980s, I had become fascinated by the new technology of personal computing and the power that computers have to process and present information. In 1984 I became a full-time technical writer, and since then I have prepared numerous books and user manuals for a variety of operating systems and programming languages. Presenting concepts to both experienced programmers and beginning computer users required that I master a wide range of skills.

"When income from technical writing fell short of our needs I turned for help to my wife, Lisa Yount, a superb and prolific nonfiction writer. Lisa helped me achieve a simpler, more direct style more appropriate for writing textbook material for young people. By the mid-1990s, however, both of us had grown tired of this formulaic work. Fortunately the publishers Facts on File and Lucent Books were willing to give us the opportunity to write books on a variety of interesting subjects.

"I naturally drew upon my computer expertise to write books introducing the Internet and related issues to young people, through both narrative introductions and biography. I've been able to write about the lives and work of numerous mathematicians, physicists, and computer scientists, always seeking to show the role of imagination and creativity in their work. I have also been able to prepare what I believe are comprehensive, balanced, and helpful guides to a variety of social issues, ranging from terrorism to the role of the modern media.

"My goal (and my joy) in writing continues to be to show how patterns of thought develop and proliferate through the lives and work of great scientists and inventors. However, with powerful tools come critical responsibilities, and the social implications of modern technology are always a major concern in my work. In the future I also hope to explore the mythic and archetypal nature of science and technology and to suggest how these tools can be integrated with spiritual traditions in an open yet rigorous way.

"The main advice I'd give to my readers is ‘look for connections.’ Everywhere and every time you observe nature, your fellow humans, or any realm of thought or activity, you will find fascinating patterns and hints about relationships. This is true whether you decide to become a scientist, an artist, a writer, a craftsperson—indeed, whatever career and way of life you choose."