Michael Wood Popular Books
Michael Wood Biography & Facts
Michael David Wood, (born 23 July 1948) is an English historian and broadcaster. He has presented numerous well-known television documentary series from the late 1970s to the present day. Wood has also written a number of books on English history, including In Search of the Dark Ages, The Domesday Quest, The Story of England, and In Search of Shakespeare. He was appointed Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester in 2013. Early life and education Wood was born in Moss Side, Manchester, England. He attended Heald Place Primary School in Rusholme. When he was eight, his family moved to Paulden Avenue, Wythenshawe, where he could see historic Baguley Hall from his bedroom window. He went to Benchill Primary School. At Manchester Grammar School, he developed an interest in theatre, playing Grusha in the first British amateur production of Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle and later Hamlet in Shakespeare's Hamlet. He took A-levels in English, French and History. Wood studied history and English at Oriel College, Oxford, touring the United States for six weeks in his final year, and graduated with a second-class Bachelor of Arts degree. Later, he undertook postgraduate research in Anglo-Saxon history at Oriel. Three years into his research for a DPhil, he left to become a journalist with ITV. Career In the 1970s, Wood worked for the BBC in Manchester. He was first a reporter and then an assistant producer on current affairs programmes before returning to his love of history with his 1979–81 series In Search of the Dark Ages for BBC2. He quickly became popular with female viewers for his blond good looks (he was humorously dubbed "the thinking woman's crumpet" by British newspapers), his deep voice and his habit of wearing tight jeans and a sheepskin jacket. Wood's work is also well known in the United States, where it receives much airplay on PBS and on various cable television networks. The series Legacy (1992) is one of his more frequently broadcast documentaries on US television. Since 1990, Wood has been a director of independent television production company Maya Vision International. In 2006, he joined the British School of Archaeology in Iraq campaign, the aim of which was to train and encourage new Iraqi archaeologists, and he has lectured on the subject. In 2013, Wood joined the University of Manchester as Professor of Public History. Wood favours returning artefacts looted during the age of imperialism. He has publicly supported moving the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum back to Attica. Personal life His girlfriend for ten years, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, was the journalist and broadcaster Pattie Coldwell. He currently lives in north London with his wife, television producer Rebecca Ysabel Dobbs, and two daughters, Minakshi and Jyoti. Honours and recognition Wood was a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society until 2007. In 2009, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by Sunderland University. This was followed by the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Leicester in 2011 and in 2015 he was awarded the President's Medal by the British Academy. Having previously been President of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, in 2017 he accepted the position of Honorary Life Vice President, offered in recognition of his work on the documentary series Michael Wood's Story of England. Wood is currently the president of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding, an organization founded in 1965 to promote understanding and friendship between the British and the Chinese people. Wood was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 2008. Wood was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to public history and broadcasting. BAFTA-winning broadcaster David Olusoga has said that he was inspired as a teenager to become a historian by having watched Wood on television. Television series In Search of the Dark Ages (1979–81) Great Railway Journeys ("Zambezi Express", 1980) Great Little Railways (episode 3: "Slow Train to Olympia", 1983) In Search of the Trojan War (1985) Domesday: A Search for the Roots of England (1986) Greece: The Hidden War (1986) Art of the Western World (1989) Legacy: A Search for the Origins of Civilisation (1992) Lifeboat (1993) In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great (1997) Conquistadors (2000) In Search of Shakespeare (2003) In Search of Myths and Heroes (2005) The Story of India (2007) Christina: A Medieval Life (2008) In Search of Beowulf (2009) (a.k.a. Michael Wood on Beowulf) Michael Wood's Story of England (2010) The Great British Story: A People's History (2012) King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons (2013) The Story of China (2016) Documentaries Darshan: An Indian Journey (1989) Traveller's Tales: The Sacred Way (1991) Saddam's Killing Fields (1993) Secret History: Hitler's Search for the Holy Grail (1999) Gilbert White: Nature Man (2006) Christina: A Medieval Life (2008) Alexander's Greatest Battle (2009) Shakespeare's Mother; The Secret Life of a Tudor Woman (2015) Ovid: The Poet and the Emperor (2017) How China Got Rich (2019) Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet (2020) Bibliography In Search of the Dark Ages (BBC Books, 1981) In Search of the Trojan War (1985) Domesday: A Search for the Roots of England (1988) Legacy: A Search for the Origins of Civilization (1992), London: Network Books/BBCbooks/London BCA. The Smile of Murugan: A South Indian Journey (1995) In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great (1997) In Search of England: Journeys into the English Past (1999) Conquistadors (2000) In Search of Shakespeare (2003) In Search of Myths and Heroes (2005) India: An Epic Journey Across the Subcontinent (2007) The Story of England (2010) The Story of China (2020) China's Greatest Poet: In the Footsteps of Du Fu (2023) References External links Michael Wood at IMDb Michael Wood at the British Film Institute In the Footsteps of Alexander The Great at the Wayback Machine (archived 18 March 2008) Writings The Story of the Conquistadors In Search of Shakespeare In Search of Myths and Heroes "The Life of an Anglo-Saxon Princess". The Guardian, 2010 Interview 2012 video interview. Discover the Michael Wood popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Michael Wood books.
Best Seller Michael Wood Books of 2024
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Shoe Dog
Phil KnightIn this instant and tenacious New York Times bestseller, Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight “offers a rare and revealing look at the notoriously mediashy man behind the sw...
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The Stranger in the Woods
Michael FinkelNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a realitynot out of anger at the world, but simp...
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Phil
Alan ShipnuckNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A rollicking good time.” Golfweek “Thoroughly engaging.” The Washington PostNow with a new afterword: a juicy and freewheeling biography of legendary g...
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The Inferno
Dante Alighieri & Peter ThorntonThis enthralling new translation of Dante’s Inferno “immediately joins ranks with the very best” (Richard Lansing).One of the world’s transcendent literary masterpieces, the Infern...
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A Game of Ghosts
John Connolly“An epic supernatural suspense that will forever reset your standards for summer thrillers. From secret realms and horrific homicides to hauntings and criminal empires, there isn’t...
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The Lovers
John ConnollyNew York Times bestselling author John Connolly writes an “unfailingly compelling” (New Orleans TimesPicayune) and lyrical tale that forces Private Investigator Charlie Parker to e...
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The Dynasty
Jeff BenedictNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Now a 10part docuseries on Apple TV+ From the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Tiger Woods comes the definitive inside story of the New England ...
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The Hunter from the Woods
Robert McCammonThe New York Times–bestselling author presents five paranormal adventures featuring the lycanthropic British spy introduced in The Wolf’s Hour. Roaming the globe in a fight against...
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The Pressure Principle
Dr Dave Alred MBE''If you are struggling with exams, vivers, job interviews, work presentations, with performing in a team or individual sport or find it difficult to interact in social situations...
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Shoe Dog
Phil Knight“An eyeopening look into the story of Knight before his multibillion dollar company.” School Library Journal“A great story about how an ambition turned into a business…serves as a ...
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The Whisperers
John Connolly“‘Oh, little one,’ he whispered, as he gently stroked her cheek, the first time he had touched her in fifteen years. ‘What have they done to you? What have they done to us all?’ ”I...
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Bonkers
Jennifer SaundersTHE HILARIOUS, TOUCHING LIFE STORY OF THE ICONIC COMEDIAN AND NATIONAL TREASURE 'Fabulous? Yes. Funny? Absolutely' Mail on SundayJennifer Saunders' comic creations have brought joy...
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The Burning Soul
John ConnollyWhat’s the worst thing you’ve ever done? “There are some truths so terrible that they should not be spoken aloud, so appalling that even to acknowledge them is to risk sacrificing ...
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The Age of Alexander
PlutarchPlutarch's parallel biographies of the great men in Greek and Roman history are cornerstones of European literature, drawn on by writers and statesmen since the Renaissance, most n...
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Walt Disney
Mike WoodThis is a short Bio of Walt Disney and his many accomplishments. I did not have time to write a full biography of the man, this is just to get you interested in finding out more ab...
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Every Dead Thing
John ConnollyTortured and brilliant private detective Charlie Parker stars in this thriller by New York Times bestselling author John Connolly.Former NYPD detective Charlie "Bird" Parker is on ...
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Prairie Man
Dean ButlerCelebrating its 50th anniversary and still airing in the U.S. and around the world, Little House on the Prairie is one of the most cherished family dramas in television history, an...
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LeBron
Jeff BenedictNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the #1 bestselling author of The Dynasty and Tiger Woodsthe “definitive…fantastic” (Sports Illustrated) biography of basketball superstar LeBron Jam...
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NIV, The Grace and Truth Study Bible
R. Albert Mohler Jr. & ZondervanKnow this Grace: He loved you by name before all creation. Love this Truth: He’ll know you by name for all eternity.The NIV Grace and Truth Study Bible paints a stunning canva...
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The History of Alexander
Quintus Curtius Rufus & John YardleyAlexander the Great (356323 BC), who led the Macedonian army to victory in Egypt, Syria, Persia and India, was perhaps the most successful conqueror the world has ever seen. Yet al...
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A Time of Torment
John Connolly#1 internationally bestselling author John Connolly delivers a masterful combination of “the hardboiled with the supernatural” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) with this return ...
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The Cost of These Dreams
Wright ThompsonThe instant New York Times bestseller!From one of America's most beloved sportswriters and the bestselling author of Pappyland, a collection of true stories about the dream of grea...
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Chronicles
Jean Froissart & Geoffrey BreretonThe Chronicles of Froissart (13371410) are one of the greatest contemporary records of fourteenthcentury England and France. Depicting the great age of AngloFrench rivalry from the...
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The Wolf in Winter
John ConnollyNew York Times bestselling author John Connolly is a master of the supernatural thriller“a genre of one” (Bookreporter)whose eerie and electrifying Charlie Parker mystery turns a s...
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The Black Angel
John ConnollyTo those who have been forsaken, hell has no geography. The Black Angel begins with the disappearance of a young prostitute from one of New York City's seamiest neighborhoods. Lik...
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LIV and Let Die
Alan ShipnuckAlan Shipnuck, the New York Times bestselling author of Phil, returns with a major new work of insider reporting on the battle for the soul of professional golf between the PGA Tou...
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Unplayable
Robert LusetichThe definitive chronicle of the most stunning year in the legendary career of Tiger Woods, when the world’s greatest golfer returned to competitive play following major knee surger...
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A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
Bartolome Las CasasBartolomé de Las Casas was the first and fiercest critic of Spanish colonialism in the New World. An early traveller to the Americas who sailed on one of Columbus's voyages, Las Ca...
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A Song of Shadows
John ConnollyStill recovering from his lifethreatening wounds, private detective Charlie Parker investigates a case that has its origins in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II in this...
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A Course Called America
Tom CoyneNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERGlobetrotting golfer Tom Coyne has finally come home. And he’s ready to play all of it.After playing hundreds of courses overseas in the birthplace of golf...
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Moving Target
Ross KempFormer Special Reconnaissance Regiment Sergeant Nick Kane always stands by his friends. So when an old comrade is leaned on by gangsters, Nick's only too happy to help. But Nick qu...
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The Reapers
John ConnollyDarkly brilliant and intuitive private detective Charlie Parker returns in the next thrilling installment of the New York Times bestselling series by John Connolly about an elite g...
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Ecclesiastical History of the English People
BEDE, Leo Sherley-Price & D. H. FarmerWritten in AD 731, Bede's work opens with a background sketch of Roman Britain's geography and history. It goes on to tell of the kings and bishops, monks and nuns who helped to de...
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Mercy Among the Children
David Adams RichardsAt the age of twelve, Sidney Henderson, in a moment of anger, pushes his friend Connie Devlin off the roof of a local church. Looking down on Connie’s motionless body, Sidney belie...
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Tiger, Meet My Sister...
Rick ReillyIn this hilariously funny essay collection, ESPN columnist Rick Reilly compiles the best of his sports columnsessays that include his expert opinion on athlete tattoos, ...
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The Unquiet
John ConnollyHaunted private detective Charlie Parker returns in this “not to be missed” (Bookreporter) thriller by New York Times and internationally bestselling author John Connolly.Daniel Cl...
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The Wrath of Angels
John ConnollyIn the depths of the Maine woods, the wreckage of a plane is discovered. There are no bodies, and no such plane has ever been reported missing, but men both good and evil have been...
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The Campaigns of Alexander
Arrian & Aubrey De SelincourtAlthough written over four hundred years after Alexander's death, Arrian's account of the man and his achievements is the most reliable we have. Arrian's own experience as a milita...
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The Killing Kind
John ConnollyTroubled excop turned private investigator Charlie Parker returns in the latest “compulsively readable” (Publishers Weekly) thriller from #1 internationally bestselling author John...
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Dark Hollow
John ConnollyWhen John Connolly burst upon the literary suspense scene in 1999, he was an immediate international sensation. His Every Dead Thing became an instantaneous bestseller in England, ...
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Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions
Ed ZwickA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER USA TODAY BESTSELLER This heartfelt and wry career memoir from the director of Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Legends o...
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The White Road
John ConnollyInternationally bestselling author John Connolly takes readers into the dark world of private detective Charlie Parker, whose deadly fight against evil begins when the daughter of ...