Simon Garfield
His early work focused on the music industry, but his books have increasingly delved into niche topics, from British wrestling and the invention of mauve to the history of encyclopedias and typefaces.Money for Nothing: Greed and Exploitation in the Music Industry (1986) was praised by Booklist's Peter L. Robinson as an "insider's account" which had "all the ingredients that produce a juicy public spectacle."[1] Expensive Habits: The Dark Side of the Music Industry (1986) was based on an article Garfield wrote for Time Out about George Michael's legal action against his record label."[1] Garfield started writing books on more niche topics: including inside views on British wrestling in The Wrestling (1996) and BBC Radio 1 DJs in The Nation's Favourite: The True Adventures of Radio One (1998); and what The New York Times Book Review called a "straightforward and clear" chronicle of William Henry Perkin's life and legacy in Mauve: How One Man Invented a Colour That Changed the World (2006).[5] In a three-volume anthology — Our Hidden Lives (2004), We Are at War (2005) and Private Battles (2006) — Garfield edited diaries from the archives of Mass-Observation,[2] established in the 1930s to preserve the daily experiences of "ordinary people".
Time OutThe IndependentThe ObserverBritish wrestlinghistory of encyclopediastypefacesLondonHampstead Garden SuburbHamburgUniversity College SchoolLondon School of EconomicsThe BeaverStudent Journalist of the YearThe GuardianRadio TimessubeditorBBC Radio 3radio documentariesBooklistGeorge Michaellegal action against his record labelThe Listenerfeature writerAIDS in the United KingdomSomerset Maugham AwardBBC Radio 1The New York Times Book ReviewWilliam Henry PerkinValiumMass-Observationmidlife crisisstamp collectingDiane SamuelsaffairSt Ives, CornwallJust My TypeThe Colbert ReportLetters LiveHampsteadThe WrestlingRadio OneW. W. Norton & CompanyWilliam Huskissonsteam railwaysWorld War IIBob Carlos ClarkeProfile Books LtdProfile BooksJean Lucey PrattHarperCollinsAll the Knowledge in the World: The Extraordinary History of the EncyclopaediaContemporary AuthorsEncyclopedia.comDebrett'sPress GazetteJanet MaslinThe New York Times