Middleton, Nicholas J.
(Nick Middleton)

PERSONAL: Born in London, England.

ADDRESSES: Office—University of Oxford, School of Geography and the Environment, Mansfield Rd., Oxford, OX1 3TB England. E-mail—nicholas.middleton@geog.ox.ac.uk.

CAREER: St. Anne's College, Oxford, Oxford, England, supernumerary fellow in physical geography. Economist Intelligence Unit, former economic and political analyst; consultant for World Conservation Union, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), European Union, and World Wide Fund for Nature. Channel 4, host of television series Extremes, 2001, and Surviving Extremes, 2003.

AWARDS, HONORS: Ness Award, Royal Geographical Society, in recognition of widening the public enthusiasm for geography through travel writing.

WRITINGS:

UNDER NAME NICK MIDDLETON

(With Neil Grant) Atlas of the World Today, Harper & Row (NewYork, NY), 1987.

Atlas of Environmental Issues, illustrated by Steve Weston and John Downes, Facts on File (New York, NY), 1989.

Atlas of World Issues, illustrated by Mike Saunders and others, Facts on File (New York, NY), 1989.

(Editor and producer) Alec C. Campbell, The Nature of Botswana: A Guide to Conservation and Development, Field Operations Division, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (Gland, Switzerland), 1990.

(With David S. G. Thomas) Contemporary Issues in Geography: Desertification, [London, England], 1991, published as Desertification: Exploding the Myth, Wiley (New York, NY), 1994.

The Last Disco in Outer Mongolia, Sinclair Stevenson (London, England), 1992.

Southern Africa, Media House Publications (Transvaal, South Africa), 1994, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1995.

The Global Casino: An Introduction to Environmental Issues, E. Arnold/Halsted Press (New York, NY), 1995, 3rd edition, 2003.

Kalashnikovs and Zombie Cucumbers: Travels in Mozambique, Phoenix (London, England), 1995.

Travels as a Brussels Scout, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (London, England), 1997.

(Editor with David S. G. Thomas) United Nations Environment Programme, World Atlas of Desertification, 2nd edition, Wiley (New York, NY), 1997.

Ice Tea and Elvis: A Saunter through the Southern States, Phoenix (London, England), 2000.

Going to Extremes (based on the television program), Pan (London, England), 2003.

Surviving Extremes (based on the television program), Channel 4 Books (London, England), 2003, published as Extremes: Surviving the World's Harshest Environments, Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor of more than 200 articles to journals, magazines, and newspapers. Author of "Environment Today" column for Geography Review.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Extremes along the Silk Road, for John Murray.

SIDELIGHTS: Nicholas J. Middleton is the author of educational books on geography and the environment as well as travel books recounting his exploits in such places as Mongolia, Mozambique, and the southern United States. In an interview on the Channel 4 Web site, Middleton—who published under the name Nick Middleton—was asked whether he was more interested in the geography or the people he encountered during his travels. He replied, "The human side because people are always more interesting, but it was great to see the physical geography in the flesh, too."

In Southern Africa, one of the author's student guides, he takes middle-school readers on a tour through such nations as Botswana, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe. He covers the region's landscapes, climate, politics, industry, and environment. Writing in the School Library Journal, Loretta Kreider Andrews called the effort a "fact-packed book." Middleton is also the author or co-author of a series of atlases for general readers, including Atlas of the World Today, Atlas of Environmental Issues, Atlas of World Issues. Commenting on the Atlas of Environmental Issues and Atlas of World Issues, Reference Quarterly contributor Marion Francois remarked that a strong point of both books "is that they draw on a variety of nations and regions to illustrate their topics," adding that this "gives the readers exposure to many different countries in different parts of the world."

Middleton has specialized knowledge of the desert landscape and has collaborated with David S. G. Thomas on two books on the subject. In the World Atlas of Desertification, the authors discuss the causes of desertification and strategies that may help slow or stop its spread. Writing in the Geographical Journal, Norman Pye commented that "the information contained in this atlas must make it an essential reference point for all concerned with arid land problems whether in research or policy making." In Desertification: Exploding the Myth, the authors discuss exactly what desertification is and how the term has been used and misused. In exploring the myths surrounding desertification, the authors look at a variety of issues, including how institutions have corrupted the definition and the key environmental problems involved with desertification. Although identifying several problems, Geographical Journal contributor Andrew Warren called the book "valuable" and noted that it "filled a big gap" in the ongoing discussion.

In The Global Casino: An Introduction to Environmental Issues Middleton discusses such topics as deforestation, waste management, soil erosion, and threatened species. He concludes the book, which contains numerous tables, graphs, and case studies, by looking at conservation and sustainable development. Writing in Choice, F. T. Kuserk rated the effort "excellent."

Middleton has also used his experience traveling around the globe to write travel books for the general public. In Travels as a Brussels Scout, he writes about his experience touring Western Europe in 1995. A Publishers Weekly contributor called Middleton's trip a "wisecracking journey … filled with witty, shrewd observations on cultural contrasts." The traveler headed for the United States to write his book Ice Tea and Elvis: A Saunter through the Southern States. Writing in Publishers Weekly, a reviewer commented that the book contains "Middleton's wry British humor and keen observations" and called the volume both "informative enough for the sightseer yet sufficient for a casual read." A Contemporary Review contributor commented that "the author's history is weak and his conclusions … are correspondingly so" but added that the book "is entertaining." George M. Jenks, writing in the Library Journal, called the travelogue "an engaging tale" and added that readers would be mainly entertained by "the charming naiveté of a British tourist confronted by all things Southern."

Surviving Extremes is based on Middleton's experiences producing a television show of the same title for Britain's Channel 4. In the book he explains how and why indigenous peoples manage to survive in four of the most inhospitable yet habitable environments on Earth: the frozen seas of Greenland, the rainforest of the Congo, the desert dunes of Niger, and the swamps of New Guinea. Writing in Geographical, David Mitchell noted that Middleton "manages to convince you that he is constantly out of his depth," but noted that "he never shies away from a challenge set by one of his local guides." Mitchell went on to comment that the author's "dry, self-mocking humour and the genuine apprehension he expresses at the situations in which he finds himself make this true adventure story very engaging."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Reference Books Annual, Volume 21, 1990, R. G. Shipf, review of Atlas of World Issues, p. 170, and Diane M. Calabrese, review of Atlas of Environmental Issues, pp. 748-749.

Booklist, November 1, 1989, review of Atlas of Environmental Issues, p. 599.

Choice, March, 1996, F. T. Kuserk, review of The Global Casino: An Introduction to Environmental Issues, p. 1154.

Contemporary Review, January, 2000, review of Ice Tea and Elvis: A Saunter through the Southern States, p. 53.

Geographical, September, 2003, David Mitchell, review of Surviving Extremes, p. 54.

Geographical Journal, July, 1994, Norman Pye, review of World Atlas of Desertification, p. 210; March, 1996, Andrew Warren, review of Desertification: Exploding the Myth, p. 83.

Library Journal, September 1, 2000, George M. Jenks, review of Ice Tea and Elvis, p. 238.

Observer (London, England), July 9, 1995, review of Kalashnikovs and Zombie Cucumbers: Travels in Mozambique, p. 17; July 20, 1997, review of Travels as a Brussels Scout, p. 16.

Publishers Weekly, September 18, 2000, review of Ice Tea and Elvis, p. 103.

Reference Books Bulletin, November 1, 1989, reviews of Atlas of Environmental Issues and Atlas of World Issues, p. 599.

Reference Quarterly, spring, 1990, Marian P. Francois, reviews of Atlas of Environmental Issues and Atlas of World Issues, p. 432.

School Library Journal, September, 1989, reviews of Atlas of Environmental Issues and Atlas of World Issues, p. 282; June, 1995, Loretta Kreider Andrews, review of Southern Africa, p. 140.

Spectator, April 4, 1992, review of The Last Disco in Outer Mongolia, p. 37.

Times Educational Supplement, December 2, 1988, reviews of Atlas of Environmental Issues and Atlas of World Issues, p. 50; January 24, 1991, Michael Storm, review of Contemporary Issues in Geography: Desertification, p. 32.

Times Literary Supplement, July 10, 1992, review of The Last Disco in Outer Mongolia, p. 11; April, 21, 1995, review of Kalashnikovs and Zombie Cucumbers, p. 29; November 14, 1997, review of Travels as a Brussels Scout, p. 35.

ONLINE

Channel 4 Web site, http://www.channel4.com/ (February 1, 2005), "Extremes: Nick Middleton."

Orion Publishing Group Web site, http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/ (February 1, 2005).

University of Oxford School of Geography and the Environment Web site, http://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/ (February 1, 2005), "Nicholas J. Middleton."