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Christopher Lloyd (author)

Christopher Lloyd is a UK-based author and lecturer specializing in connecting knowledge together using giant narratives, visual timelines and interactive workshops. He is a graduate in history from Peterhouse Cambridge, and a former Sunday Times science correspondent.

His range of non-fiction books include a history of the world called ''What on Earth Happened? The complete story of planet, life and people from the Big Bang to the present day'' (Bloomsbury 2008), which is now in 15 languages. His sequel is the story of life on earth entitled: What on Earth Evolved; 100 species that changed the world (Bloomsbury 2009). He began writing books after he and his wife started home educating their two daughters.

Since 2010, Christopher has also written a series of five giant narrative timelines in collaboration with illustrator Andy Forshaw. These come in four formats and can be read like books or unfolded into wallcharts. They are designed for all ages, but are aimed primarily at younger readers aged 5-15. Each timeline contains more than 1,000 pictures and captions and a range of easy-to read text-based narratives on the reverse.

Background

Christopher Lloyd graduated from Peterhouse, Cambridge, in 1991 with two scholarships and a double first-class degree in History. Following on from this, Lloyd became a graduate trainee journalist on The Sunday Times newspaper and was trained at the City University where he gained a diploma in newspaper journalism. In 1993, Lloyd was appointed The Sunday Times Innovation Editor and won the 1994 Texaco award for Science Journalist of the Year.

In 1997 Lloyd co-founded LineOne, a joint venture Internet Service business owned by BT and News International and later became a director of News Internationals' Internet activities. He qualified in direct marketing with a Cert DM from the Institute of Direct Marketing. In January 2001 Lloyd was recruited to become chief executive of Immersive Education, an education software publishing company based in Oxford. In 2006 he left Immersive Education to spend time travelling across Europe with his wife and two children, both of whom were home-educated. The time spent on the road travelling around Europe inspired him to come up with the concept for What on Earth Happened?

'''What on Earth? Books'''

Having written both What on Earth Happened and What on Earth Evolved, Christopher Lloyd decided to develop a way for such a vast amount of information to be easily accessible and interesting to children. In 2010, Lloyd founded What on Earth Publishing alongside illustrator Andy Forshaw. What on Earth Publishing is a boutique educational and publishing business committed to developing inspirational gifts, resources and workshops that promote the joy of learning by connecting knowledge together through timelines and natural curiosity.

What on Earth? publishes a range of fold-out timelines covering Big History, Nature, Science & Engineering, Sport and Shakespeare. Each timeline comes in four different formats: Quizbooks, Wallbooks, Stickerbooks and Posterbooks. All of them can be read like books or unfolded and spread out on the floor or stuck on a wall. They make wonderful gifts for curious children and interested adults alike, aged 3-103.

The series of books are published in partnership with highly respected UK-based institutions such as the Natural History Museum, The Science Museum, The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Magna Carta 800th Trust.

Educational Philosophy

Lloyd's philosophy on education is that curiosity is our most precious natural instinct; it is how we learn all the most important life skills from talking to tickling from cradle to grave and that this instinct must be cultivated in children's education. Lloyd believes that today knowledge is usually chopped up into separate subjects – into a timetable, a syllabus or curriculum – usually by adults who are addicted to measuring and recording a student’s progress through constant tests and examinations, but that this kills our natural instinct for learning. Through his range of books, talks, workshops and public lectures Lloyd hopes to encourage the natural curiosity of children, challenging them to find things out for themselves and become an expert wherever their curiosity leads them.

Lloyd's range of timeline books have been designed to show children the 'big picture' so that their minds can roam freely, without having to read a book from beginning to end, but exploring wherever their curiosity takes them through topics ranging from History, Nature and Science to Sport and Shakespeare. Lloyd hopes to encourage a constant fascination with connecting together the dots of the past, giving them meaning and making them memorable through visualization, context, cause and effect.

Public Lectures

Christopher is a highly popular lecturer in demand in schools and universities throughout the UK and overseas. Venues for his many talks include The Royal Institution, the Natural History Museum, The Science Museum, The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Hay Literary Festival, the Oxford Literary Festival, the Cheltenham Science Festival and the Cambridge Arts & Science Festival (for a list of future events see www.whatonearthbooks.com/events).

Lloyd offers a wide range of highly educational and stimulating cross-curricular talks for schools, home education groups, literary festivals, businesses, societies, clubs and universities, tailored to suit all ages from 5 to adult. The range of talks includes school workshops, INSET days, speech days and parents' evenings.

Books

What on Earth Happened? (2008)

What on Earth Evolved? (2009)

What on Earth Happened? In Brief (2009)

What on Earth Evolved? In Brief (2010)

The What on Earth Wallbook of Big History (2010)

The What on Earth Wallbook of Nature (2011)

The What on Earth Wallbook of Sport (2012)

The What on Earth Wallbook of Science and Engineering (2013)

The What on Earth Wallbook of Shakespeare (2014)

The What on Earth Quizbook of Big History (2012)

The What on Earth Quizbook of Nature (2012)

The What on Earth Quizbook of Sport (2012)

The What on Earth Quizbook of Science and Engineering (2013)

The What on Earth Quizbook of Shakespeare (2014)

The What on Earth Stickerbook of Big History (2014)

The What on Earth Stickerbook of Nature (2014)

The What on Earth Stickerbook of Science and Engineering (2014)

The What on Earth Stickerbook of Sport (2014)

The What on Earth Stickerbook of Shakespeare (2014)

The What on Earth Posterbook of Big History (2014)

The What on Earth Posterbook of Nature (2014)

The What on Earth Posterbook of Science and Engineering (2014)

The What on Earth Posterbook of Sport (2014)

The What on Earth Posterbook of Shakespeare (2014)

The Magna Carta Chronicles (2015)