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Jack Turner (writer)

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For other persons of the same name, see Jack Turner.

Jack Charles Turner (born 1968 in Sydney, Australia) is a non-fiction writer and television documentary host. His work focuses on international studies, especially relating historical societies to modern ones.

Image:Jack Turner (writer) PromoPhoto.jpg

Contents

[edit] Background

Jack Charles Turner was born in 1968 in Sydney, Australia<ref name="RHI_AuthorSpotlight">Random House, Inc. "Author Spotlight: Jack Turner". Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.</ref>. He is 186cm (6'1") tall, and a British national<ref name="OUVC_Alumni">Oxford University Volleyball Club. "Players Information, Student Teams, Blues Alumni". Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.</ref>. He lives with his wife, Helena Fraser (St Antony's College at Oxford, class of 1995), their son, Oscar, and daughter, Zoe Saffron Evie (born 20 September 2004)<ref name="SACN_Prod11">"Antonian Productions". (Autumn 2005). St Anthony's College Newsletter p. 11. Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.</ref>, in Geneva<ref name="RHI_AuthorSpotlight">Random House, Inc. "Author Spotlight: Jack Turner". Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.</ref>. He has also lived in Madrid, Tbilisi, and New York<ref name="TT2000">"Making a difference: Rhodes Scholars review how the Scholarship shaped their lives". (Number 58 - Summer 2000) Trinity Today. p. 11. Retrieved Nov. 23, 2006.</ref>.

[edit] Education

Jack Turner earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Studies from The University of Melbourne. In 1992, Turner was elected as an "Australia At Large" Rhodes Scholar<ref name="TUOM_RhodesList">The University of Melbourne. "List of Rhodes Scholars Elected for Victoria". Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.</ref> and attended Oxford University. The Rhodes Scholarship allowed Turner to branch out and change his major from Classics to International Relations<ref name="TT2000">"Making a difference: Rhodes Scholars review how the Scholarship shaped their lives". (Number 58 - Summer 2000) Trinity Today. p. 11. Retrieved Nov. 23, 2006.</ref>. He graduated from Magdalen College at Oxford with a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in International Relations in 1994<ref name="OUG_960418">"University Acts: Congregation 25 March: Degree by Special Resolution". (Apr. 18, 1996). Oxford University Gazette. Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.</ref>. His masters thesis was entitled Soviet New Thinking and the Cambodian Conflict<ref name="ODPIR_Theses38">Oxford University, Department of Politics and International Relations. "Full List of Successful Graduate International Relations Theses from 1971". p. 38. Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.</ref>. At Exeter College in 1995, Turner was selected to the MacArthur Junior Research Fellowship in the International Relations of the Developing World<ref name="OUP_950713">"Colleges, Halls, and Societies". (July 13, 1995). Oxford University Gazette. Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.</ref>. In 2004, he graduated from Exeter College at Oxford with a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in International Relations. His doctoral thesis was entitled The Great Powers and Local Factors in Internal Conflict: The Dynamics of Conflict Termination in Cambodia: 1979-1991<ref name="ODPIR_Theses64">Oxford University, Department of Politics and International Relations. "Full List of Successful Graduate International Relations Theses from 1971". p. 64. Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.</ref>. From 2004 to 2006, Jack, or "Jaxon" as he was known to his teammates, was the captain and setter for the Oxford University Volleyball Club Blues Men's team<ref name="OUVC_Alumni">Oxford University Volleyball Club. "Players Information, Student Teams, Blues Alumni". Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.</ref>.

[edit] Career

Two years after receiving his Fellowship, Turner took a break from academia and took a professional job in Madrid, Spain. After spending three months wearing a suit to work, he decided that writing was calling. He quit his job and moved with his wife to Tbilisi, Georgia to write his first book.<ref name="TT2000">"Making a difference: Rhodes Scholars review how the Scholarship shaped their lives". (Number 58 - Summer 2000) Trinity Today. p. 11. Retrieved Nov. 23, 2006.</ref>

[edit] Writings

Throughout his studies, Turner was fascinated by how many times various spices appeared in historical references. That, combined with an early interest in spices, partly enhanced by his mother's spicy cooking, resulted in his decision to pursue the subject of spices further<ref name="RHI_AuthorQA">Random House, Inc. "AUTHOR Q & A: A Conversation with Jack Turner". Retrieved Nov. 22, 2006.</ref>. The result is a book entitled Spice: The History of a Temptation (ISBN 0-37-540721-5.), which traces spices back through time, through history, myth, archaeology, and literature.

In the summer of 2000, he stated that he planned to base his next book on his experiences living in Caucasus<ref name="TT2000">"Making a difference: Rhodes Scholars review how the Scholarship shaped their lives". (Number 58 - Summer 2000) Trinity Today. p. 11. Retrieved Nov. 23, 2006.</ref>.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Spice: The History of a Temptation. (Aug. 9, 2005). ISBN 0375707050. Paperback. Vintage; Reprint edition, 384 pages.
  • Spice: The History of a Temptation. (Mar. 21, 2005). ISBN 0006551734. Paperback. Harper Perennial; New Ed edition, 448 pages.
  • Spice: The History of a Temptation. (Aug. 10, 2004). ISBN 0375407219. Hardcover. Knopf, 384 pages.

[edit] Other Works

Turner is the host of the What the Ancients Knew documentary series on The Science Channel. In the series, he visits key places from world history, focusing on the scientific, anthropoligic, economic, and mechanical issues of the ancient civilizations and how their works influence modern life. The original three episodes covered the Romans, the Egyptians, and the Chinese. Later episodes covered the Japanese, the Greeks, and India.

[edit] Notes and References

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[edit] External links

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