Pollard, Justin 1968- (Justin David Pollard)

PERSONAL:

Born January 30, 1968, in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England; married; wife's name Stephanie; children: Constance. Education: Downing College, Cambridge University, B.A.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Surrey, England. Agent—Lucas Alexander Whitley, 4 Vernon St., London W14 0RJ, England.

CAREER:

Writer and television producer. Museum of London, London, England, archaeologist.

WRITINGS:

Royal Secrets (screenplay), Discovery Communications, 1996.

Empires: Egypt's Golden Empires (television series), Lion Television (London, England), 2002.

Seven Ages of Britain, Hodder & Stoughton (London, England), 2003.

Alfred the Great: The Man Who Made England, John Murray (London, England), 2005.

(With Howard Reid) The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind, Viking (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to Lloyd's List and the Idler.

SIDELIGHTS:

Justin Pollard is an archaeologist by training. He has written three books of a historical nature and also writes for television and film. Pollard got his start in the television and film industry working as an assistant producer and researcher for a television program. Later he started producing the television miniseries on the same topic as his 2003 publication, Seven Ages of Britain.

Pollard published Alfred the Great: The Man Who Made England in 2005. The book outlines the life of one of England's most significant monarchs and the part he played in shaping the kingdom. Reviews were mostly positive. A contributor to History Today commented that the author "makes a good case" of clarifying the lesser-known facts of Alfred's life. A Contemporary Review contributor called the work "an affectionate and balanced presentation."

With documentary filmmaker Howard Reid, Pollard wrote The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind. Alexandria is detailed in virtually every aspect, from its inception by Alexander the Great through several attempts at its destruction. Most notable for its library and the Pharos lighthouse, Alexandria is described through its notable people and the earth-shaping events that happened there. Most reviews of the book were positive. Writing in Library Journal, Joan W. Gartland stated: "An ambitious undertaking, colorfully written, this book includes a massive amount of material without footnotes, but it has a good bibliography." A contributor to Kirkus Reviews pointed out that the book "is not a light read" but conceded that "a tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes skullduggery keeps this work lively." Gilbert Taylor agreed that the authors "write accessibly, not stuffily," in his Booklist review. Taylor concluded: "Classical history buffs will savor this survey."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 1, 2006, Gilbert Taylor, review of The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind, p. 23.

Contemporary Review, autumn, 2006, review of Alfred the Great: The Man Who Made England, p. 394.

History Today, December, 2005, review of Alfred the Great, p. 66.

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2006, review of The Rise and Fall of Alexandria, p. 771.

Library Journal, October 1, 2006, Joan W. Gartland, review of The Rise and Fall of Alexandria, p. 90.

Publishers Weekly, July 31, 2006, review of The Rise and Fall of Alexandria, p. 65.

Times Literary Supplement, May 19, 2006, John Gillingham, review of Alfred the Great, p. 28.

ONLINE

Internet Movie Database,http://www.imdb.com/ (March 11, 2007), author profile.

Visual Artefact,http://www.visualartefact.com/ (March 11, 2007), author profile.