Brian J. Ford

About Brian J. Ford


'Brian J. Ford' (born 1939 in Corsham, Wiltshire) is an English independent scientist, prolific author and popular interpreter of scientific issues for the general populace, whose scientific papers and numerous books have been published internationally.
He is also a TV celebrity and lecturer in many countries. Professor Ford is a Fellow of Cardiff University, Member of Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge, Honorary member of Keynes College, University of Kent, former Fellow at the Open University and Visiting Professor at the University of Leicester. He joined Mensa more than 30 years ago and has served as a director of British Mensa. Ford was the first British President of the European Union of Science Journalists Associations (Brussels) and founding Chairman of the Science and Technology Authors Committee at the Society of Authors (London).
Ford is a long-standing Fellow of the Linnean Society, serving as a member of council and as Zoological Secretary for many years and is the Society's honorary surveyor of scientific instruments. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Biology, a former member of council and Chairman of the I.O.B. history network. Ford edited the book "The first fifty years" ISBN 0-900490-37-3 which is devoted to the history of the Institute of Biology.
He is President of the Cambridge Society for the Application of Research (SAR) and a Fellow of Cambridge Philosophical Society and has lectured to all the above mentioned bodies. Among many awards, in 2004 he was awarded a Fellowship by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and Art, NESTA (London).

Contents
Work and Ideas
Trivia
Books written by Brian J. Ford
Books as co-author
Books of which Ford is editor
Other authors' reminiscences, ''etc.'', on Ford
References
External links

Work and Ideas


Many of Ford's scientific ideas have changed our way of looking at life. He views the cell as a sentient being with a mind of its own and looks at microorganisms, largely, as confederates instead of foes. His campaigning stance over issues like opiates in retail medicines, like his detailed criticisms of the mis-use of forensic data in courts[1], have resulted in new laws being passed. Ford's current research interests include e-learning [2] which has been reported in the press [3] for which he is based at the University of Leicester.
Ford's other publications range from innovative microbial research [4] and elucidating newly threatening infections [5] to examining scientists' dissatisfaction with their lot.[6] Other areas of his interests are the invention of a space microscope for the European Space Agency [7], safety of the water supply [8] and the rising incidence of head lice [9] and bed bugs[10], his discovery of new phenomena in blood coagulation [11], the excretory mechanisms of plants [12] and investigations of the 'ingenuity' of living cells [13] that alter our understanding of the living cell. Ford's proposal for biohazard legislation led to supportive articles in 'Nature (journal)' and 'The Times' and has led to the introduction of world-wide controls[14].
His scientific papers on the development of science are often remarkably detailed, notably an essay on scientific illustration [15] and an extraordinary 18,000-word essay on scientific publishing in the eighteenth century [16] which is the definitive source for academics. One of his best known discoveries is the original specimens of Antony van Leeuwenhoek. They were sent to the Royal Society of London in the seventeenth century and remained there until Ford found them in 1981 [17] and submitted them to extensive microscopical examination using both old and new microscopes.
Ford has been active in the diplomatic and political field and travels extensively. He is in demand as a chairman and keynote speaker at conferences and also as a popular lecturer. He is also renowned as a writer contributing to The Times, the Daily Telegraph and the Evening Standard, also writing for journals including the British Medical Journal, Nature (journal), and Scientific American. Ford, who as a student had a weekly science column on the South Wales Echo, has since contributed columns for the Mensa Magazine, Boz magazine, The Listener and The Guardian. Like his research, his scientific journalism shares the common characteristic of pointed non-specialization. As he states, “All my life I have tried to act as a catalyst to cross boundaries, an agent of interdisciplinary innovation.” [18]
Television and radio programmes feature Ford, who has been a regular guest on the BBC intellectual programme "Round Britain Quiz" and has appeared on "Any Questions?". Ford presented his own well-reviewed BBC series "Science Now" and his documentary programmes "Where Are You Taking Us?" on radio which won him the BBC nomination for the pretigious Prix Italia. He also hosted the BBC series Kaleidoscope (Radio series) and was a founder-member of Start the Week on Radio Four with Esther Rantzen and Richard Baker (broadcaster). Ford's BBC phone-in programmes from the 1970s were said by the BBC, to have established the phone-in show as a core part of mainstream broadcasting. His programmes were extensively commended in major newspapers and magazines.
Many of his programmes involve proffering unrehearsed answers to the public on scientific topics, as on the Cliff Michelmore series "Whatever you think" (BBC) and "Science hour" with Clive Bull ( for LBC). On television he hosted a game show "Computer Challenge"[19] and the documentary series "Food for Thought" in Britain and "Jensheits das Kanals" in Germany. His recent TV appearances include presenting "The Man Behind the da Vinci Code" and featuring in "Weird Weapons of World War II", based on his two books about WW2 (see below).
In addition to scientific research and academic lectures, Ford lectures extensively to general audiences, in the form of one-man shows on current scientific issues. A long-time science newspaper and magazine columnist, Ford's books have been published in more than 100 editions in many countries. Those in English are listed below.
He first joined Mensa in 1967 and was a member of the British Mensa Committee from 1993-1996.

Trivia


Ford's first television appearances included playing boogie piano on "Donald Peers Presents", from Cardiff, Wales. Also in the show was the first appearance of Thomas Woodward, latterly known as Tom Jones. Ford was a newspaper columnist before going to Cardiff University, and has since contributed columns to "Boz" magazine, the "Mensa magazine", "the Listener" (formerly published by the BBC) and has written for "the Guardian", "The Times" and other newspapers.
Ford is a popular guest speaker on cruise ships including the Cunard Line ship RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 and for Seabourn Cruise Line has spoken aboard the Seabourn Spirit. He is a guest of P&O on vessels such as MV Aurora and the Arcadia (cruise ship); for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines on the Black Watch and Braemar (ship); aboard the Regatta on Oceania Cruises, and for Celebrity Cruises among many others. His presentations are dynamic and largely extemporized.
One characteristic manifestation of Ford's iconoclastic streak is displayed in the title of one of his books, which he intentionally gave the longest and most complex title in English-language publishing history: ''Nonscience and the Pseudotransmogrificationalific Egocentrified Reorientational Proclivities Inherently Intracorporated In Expertistical Cerebrointellectualised Redeploymentation with Special Reference to Quasi-Notional Fashionistic Normativity, The Indoctrinationalistic Methodological Modalities and Scalar Socio-Economic Promulgationary Improvementalisationalism Predelineated Positotaxically Toward Individualistified Mass-Acceptance Gratificationalistic Securipermanentalisationary Professionism, or How To Rule The World'', London: Wolfe Publishing (ISBN 0-7234-0449-6). The point of the sesquipedalian title was to poke fun at those who conceal their lack of real expertise by using long and complicated words, whilst making the serious point that more people are fooled by these so-called experts than really should be. The book is commonly referred to simply as Nonscience, which is itself a play on ''nonsense''.
Also worthy of note is that Ford has also been a rock & roll keyboards player. He played with guitarist Dave Edmunds and has occasionally performed in recent years. Ford has been active in the diplomatic and political world and is a trained marksman. He can pilot aeroplanes, ski and scuba-dive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

Books written by Brian J. Ford



★ ''German secret weapons, blueprint for Mars'', ISBN 0-345-24989-5. USA, Ballantine Books, 1977.

★ ––––– ISBN 0-356-03034-2. UK, Macdonald, 1970.

★ Allied Secret Weapons: the War of Science; Weapons Book #19, ISBN 0-345-02097-9 . USA Ballantine Books, 1970.

★ ––––– ISBN 0-356-03746-0, UK, Macdonald, 1970.

★ ''Microbiology and food'', ISBN 0-9501665-0-2 (hardback), UK, Catering Times, 1971.

★ ––––– ISBN 0-9501665-1-0 (paperback). UK, Northwood, 1970.

★ ''German secret weapons, blueprint for Mars'', ISBN 0-356-03034-2. Australia, South Africa, & New Zealand, Macdonald.

★ ''Allied Secret Weapons'', ISBN 0-356-03746-0. Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, Macdonald, 1971.

★ ''Nonscience . . . or how to rule the world'', ISBN 0-7234-0449-6. UK, Wolfe, 1971.

★ New edition: ''German secret weapons, blueprint for Mars'', ISBN 0-345-09758-0. USA, Ballantine Books, 1972.

★ ––––– ISBN 0-345-09758-0, UK, Pan Books, 1972.

★ New edition: ''Allied secret weapons, the war of science'', ISBN 0-345-09758-1. UK, Pan Books, 1972.

★ ''The optical microscope manual, past and present uses and techniques'', ISBN 0-7153-5862-6. UK, David & Charles, 1973.

★ ––––– ISBN 0-8448-0157-7. USA, Crane Russak, 1973.

★ ––––– ISBN 0-589-00874-X. Australia, Reed Educational, 1973.

★ ''The earth watchers'', ISBN 0-856-32020-X. UK, Leslie Frewin, 1973.

★ ''The revealing lens, mankind and the microscope'', ISBN 0-245-51016-8. UK, George Harrap, 1973.

★ ''Microbe power, tomorrow's revolution'', ISBN 0-356-08384-5. UK, Macdonald and Jane's, 1976.

★ ––––– ISBN 0-8128-1936-5. USA, Stein and Day, 1976.

★ ––––– ISBN 0-345-25892-4. USA, Ballantine Books, 1977.

★ ''Microbe power, tomorrow's revolution'', ISBN 0-8128-6006-3. USA, Scarborough Books, 1978.

★ ''Patterns of sex, the mating urge and our sexual future'', ISBN 0-354-04375-7. UK, Macdonald and Janes, 1979.

★ ––––– ISBN 0-312-59811-4. USA, St Martin's Press, 1980.

★ ''The Cult of the expert'' (hardback) ISBN 0-241-10476-9, (paperback) 0552122491. UK, Transworld, 1982.

★ ''101 questions about science'', ISBN 0-241-10992-2. UK, Hamish Hamilton, 1983.

★ ''101 more questions about science'', ISBN 0-241-11246-X. UK, Hamish Hamilton, 1984.

★ ''Single lens, the story of the simple microscope'', ISBN 0-434-26844-5. UK, William Heinemann, 1985.

★ ––––– ISBN 0-06-015366-0. USA, Harper & Row, 1985.

★ ''Compute, how, where, why ... do you really need to?'' ISBN 0-241-11490-X. UK, Hamish Hamilton, 1985.

★ ''The food book'', ISBN 0-241-11834-4. UK, Hamish Hamilton, 1986.

★ ''Lensman microscope project manual''. UK, Science of Cambridge, 1989.

★ ''The human body'', ISBN 1-85561-013-2. UK, Belitha Books, 1990.

★ ––––– ISBN 1-85561-040-X. USA, Belitha, 1990.

★ ''The Leeuwenhoek legacy'', ISBN 0-948737-10-7. UK, Biopress, 1991.

★ ––––– ISBN 1-85083-016-9. UK, Farrand Press, 1991.

★ ''Images of science, a history of scientific illustration'', ISBN 0-7123-0267-0. UK, British Library, 1992.

★ ––––– ISBN 0-19-520983-4. USA, Oxford University Press, 1993.

★ ''Microbe power, tomorrow's revolution''. USA, Madison Books, 1992.

★ ''My first encyclopedia of science'', ISBN 0-86272-944-0. UK, Kingfisher Books, 1993.

★ ''The new Guinness book of records quiz book'', ISBN 0-85112-635-9. UK, Guinness Publishing, 1994.

★ ''Microbe power, tomorrow's revolution'', ISBN 0-8128-6006-3. USA, Scarborough Books, 1994

★ ''BSE the facts'', ISBN 0-552-14530-0. UK, Transworld, 1996.

★ ''Genes, the fight for life'', ISBN 0-304-35019-2. UK, Cassells, 1999.

★ ––––– ISBN 0-304-35019-2. USA, Sterling Publications, 1999.

★ ''Sensitive souls, senses and communication in plants, animals and microbes'', ISBN 0-316-63956-7. UK, Little, Brown, 1999.

★ ''The Future of food'', ISBN 0-500-28075-4. UK, Thames & Hudson, 2000.

★ ––––– ISBN 0-500-28075-4. USA and Canada, Thames & Hudson, 2000.

★ ''Secret language of life, how animals and plants feel and communicate'', ISBN 0-88064-254-8. USA, Fromm International, 2000.

★ ''Using the digital microscope'', ISBN 0-9543595-0-X. UK, Rothay House, 2002.

Books as co-author



★ The recovery, removal, and reconstruction of human skeletal remains, some new techniques, chapter in ''Field manual for museums''. Paris, UNESCO, 1970.

★ Récuperation, enlèvement et reconstitution des ossements, chapter in ''Musées et recherches sur le terrain''. Paris, UNESCO, 1970.

★ Brian J Ford explains why he considers Cardiff the most unappreciated city in the world, chapter in ''The Cardiff book'', ISBN 0-900807-05-9. Barry: Stewart Williams Publishers, 1973.

★ Discharge to the environment of viruses in wastewater, sludges and aerosols, chapter with JS Slade in ''Viral pollution of the environment'', ed: G Berg, ISBN 0-8493-6245-8. Boca Raton, CRC Press, 1983.

★ Sexually transmitted diseases, chapter in ''Sex and Your health'' ed J Bevan, ISBN 0-85533-571-8. London, Mitchell Beazley, 1985.

★ Las Enfermedades de Transmisión Sexual y Otras que las Imitan, chapter in ''El Sexo y la Salud'' ed J Bevan, ISBN 84-320-4570-5. Barcelona, Editorial Planeta, 1985.

★ Exploring South Wales, chapter in ''Walking in Britain'', ed J. Hillaby, ISBN 0-00-412272-0. London: William Collins, 1988.

★ Anecdote about Charles Bennett (screenwriter), with others including Edwina Currie, David Frost, Neil Kinnock, Jeffrey Archer and Humphrey Lyttelton, in ''Yours Truly - true life stories from the good and the great'', ed A Frank. St. Peter Port, The Guernsey press, 1990.

★ Sexually transmissible diseases and their mimics, chapter in ''Sex and Your health'', ed J Bevan. London, Mandarin Books, 1990.

★ ''Robert Hooke, an introduction to Hooke's Micrographia'', commentary on CD-ROM edition of ''Micrographia'', 1665 ISBN 1-891788-02-7. Palo Alto, Octavo, 1998.

★ Witnessing the birth of the microscope, photoessay in ''Millennium yearbook of science and the future'', ISBN 0-85229-703-3. Chicago, Encyclopædia Britannica, 2000.

★ Eighteenth-century scientific publishing, chapter in ''Scientific books, libraries and collectors'', ISBN 1-85928-233-4. London, Thornton & Tully, 2000.

★ Scientific Illustration, chapter in vol 4 of ''The Cambridge history of science'', ed R Porter ISBN 0-521-57243-6. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2001.

★ Hidden secrets in the Royal Society archive, chapter 3 in ''Biological collections and biodiversity'', eds BS Rushton, P Hackney and CR Tyrie, ISBN 1-84103-005-8. Otley, Westbury Academic and Scientific Publishing, 2001.

★ Trouble on the hoof, disease outbreaks in Europe, chapter in ''2002 book of the year'', ISBN 0-85229-812-9. Chicago, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2002.

★ Human behaviour and the changing pattern of disease, chapter in ''The changing face of disease, implications for society'', ISBN 0-415-32280-4. London and Boca Raton, CRC Press, 2004.

★ What Next After SARS? (Severe acute respiratory syndrome), chapter in ''2004 book of the year'', ISBN 0-85229-812-9. Chicago, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2004.

★ Bird flu, the next pandemic?, chapter in ''2006 book of the year'', ISBN 1-59339-291-5. Chicago, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006.

Books of which Ford is editor



★ ''Science Diary'', annually 1967-1974. London, Charles Letts.

★ ''The Institute of Biology, the first fifty years'' (hardback) ISBN 0-900490-37-3. London, Institute of Biology, 2000.

★ ------ (paperback) ISBN 0-900490-38-1. London, Institute of Biology, 2000.

★ ''GM crops, the scientists speak'', by Sir Sam Edwards (physicist), Professor Malcolm Grant, Mr Colin Merritt, Sir John Marsh, Professor Joe N Perry, Professor Mike Gasson, Sir Brian Heap (hardback) ISBN 0-9543595-2-6. Cambridge, Rothay House, 2003.

★ ------ (paperback) ISBN 0-9543595-3-4. Cambridge, Rothay House, 2003.

★ ''The second mouse gets the cheese, proverbs and their uses'' by Sir Colin Spedding (hardback) ISBN 0-9543595-4-2. Cambridge, Rothay House, 2005.

★ ------ (paperback) ISBN 0-9543595-5-0. Cambridge, Rothay House, 2005.

★ ''A history of the The King's School, Peterborough'' by WD Larrett, ISBN 0-9543595-6-9. Cambridge, Rothay House, 2005.

Other authors' reminiscences, ''etc.'', on Ford



★ Stewart Williams, on Ford as club pianist, illustrated by photograph by John Couch. [1] Reported in "Days and nights of hot jazz in Cardiff", ''South Wales Echo'', November 11, 1977.

★ Kenneth Williams quotes Ford in ''Back Drops''. [2]

★ Germaine Greer quotes Ford from his book ''Patterns of Sex''. [3] Reported in "Better no sex than bad sex", ''The Sunday Times (UK) Review'', p 33, January 13, 1984.

★ Victor Serebriakoff describes Ford as "brilliant autodidact". [4]

★ Brian Aldiss describes Ford lecturing in ''Bury my heart at WH Smith's''. [5]

★ David Parry-Jones refers to Ford on television, with photograph, in ''Action Replay''. [6]

★ Professor Philippe Boutibonnes describes Ford's work on the Leeuwenhoek microscopes. [7]

★ Sir Colin Spedding discusses Ford on innovation. [8]

References


1. The Cardiff Book, Stewart Williams, , , Stewart Williams Publishers, 1977, ISBN 0-900807-05-9
2. Back Drops, Kenneth Williams, , , Dent, 1983, ISBN 0-460-04583-0
3. Sex and Destiny, Germaine Greer, , , Secker & Warburg, 1984, ISBN 0-436-18801-5
4. Mensa: the society for the highly intelligent, Victor Serebriakoff, , , Constable, 1985, ISBN 0-8128-3091-1
5. Bury my heart at WH Smith's, Brian Aldiss, , , Hodder & Stoughton, 1990, ISBN 0-340-53661-6
6. Action Replay, David Parry-Jones, , , Gomer Press, 1993, ISBN 1-85902-016-X
7. Un savant, une époque, van Leeuwenhoek, l’exercice du regard, Philippe Boutibonnes, , , , 1994, ISBN 2-7011-1633-3
8. Agriculture and the citizen, Colin Spedding, , , Chapman & Hall, 1996, ISBN 0-412-71520-1

External links



★ University of Leicester profile

★ Interview by Spiked-online

★ Profile by Times Higher Education Supplement

★ Amazon interviews Ford

★ Profile by Institute of Biology

★ NESTA's profile of Ford

★ Mensa magazine profile

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