Conn Iggulden
Encyclopedia
Conn Iggulden ˈɪɡəldɛn is a British author who mainly writes historical fiction
. He also co-authored The Dangerous Book for Boys
.
before moving on to Merchant Taylors' School
. He studied English at the University of London
, and went on to teach the subject for seven years, becoming head of the English department at St Gregory's Roman Catholic School in London, where one of his students was Fearne Cotton
. He eventually left teaching to write his first novel, The Gates of Rome
. He is married, has three children and lives in Hertfordshire
, England.
, the first in a four-part series entitled Emperor
. The series is based around the life of Julius Caesar
, from childhood (The Gates of Rome) to his eventual betrayal and death (The Gods of War). The film option
has been sold to Spitfire Productions (an Intermedia company).
The author has indicated that in the future he will write a fifth book that deals with the events after the end of The Gods of War
. He mentions it on his website 'projects'.
After completing the fourth book in the Emperor series, Iggulden began research for his next series of books, the Conqueror series, based on the life of Mongol warlords Genghis
, Ogedai and Kublai Khan
. His first book was available from 2007. Bones of the Hills
, the third in the series, was released on 1 September 2008. In September 2010 Empire of Silver was released, which revolves around the life of Genghis Khan's son, Ogedai. Whilst Iggulden had initially confirmed on his official website that he would be writing two more books after Empire of Silver on Kublai Khan, the author's note at the end of Conqueror states that it would be the last in the series. Iggulden explains his desire to leave the character when he still had much left to accomplish, rather than tracing him through to his eventual downfall, as he did with Julius Caesar
and Genghis Khan
.
Iggulden has previously stated that he will write one more Emperor
book, this time based on Augustus
.
. It covers around eighty topics, from building a soapbox
racer and tying knots, to learning about famous battles and how to make potassium aluminium sulphate
crystals. It was released in the UK in June 2006, reprinted a month later and was voted British Book of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards.
On September 2009 he wrote a children's book Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children through HarperCollins. Iggulden has since written three stories to accompany the story of the Tollins.
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
. He also co-authored The Dangerous Book for Boys
The Dangerous Book for Boys
The Dangerous Book for Boys, by Conn and Hal Iggulden, is a guidebook published by HarperCollins, aimed at boys "from eight to eighty." It covers around eighty topics, including how to build a treehouse, grow a crystal, or tell direction with a watch...
.
Background
Born in 1971 to an English father and Irish mother (whose grandfather was a seanchaí), he attended St. Martins School in NorthwoodNorthwood
Northwood is a suburban area in Greater London, and is part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.The population was recorded as 11,068 in 2008, by the Office for National Statistics.-Toponomy:...
before moving on to Merchant Taylors' School
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School is a British independent day school for boys, originally located in the City of London. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire ....
. He studied English at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, and went on to teach the subject for seven years, becoming head of the English department at St Gregory's Roman Catholic School in London, where one of his students was Fearne Cotton
Fearne Cotton
Fearne Cotton is an English television and radio presenter who is known for presenting a number of popular TV programmes such as Top of the Pops and the Red Nose Day telethon. In 2007, she became the first regular female presenter of BBC Radio 1's Chart Show...
. He eventually left teaching to write his first novel, The Gates of Rome
The Gates of Rome
The Gates Of Rome is the first novel in the Emperor series, written by author Conn Iggulden. The series is historical fiction following the life of Julius Caesar.-Plot introduction:...
. He is married, has three children and lives in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England.
Historical fiction
Iggulden's debut book was The Gates of RomeThe Gates of Rome
The Gates Of Rome is the first novel in the Emperor series, written by author Conn Iggulden. The series is historical fiction following the life of Julius Caesar.-Plot introduction:...
, the first in a four-part series entitled Emperor
Emperor (book series)
Emperor is an internationally acclaimed historical novel series by British author Conn Iggulden about the life of Roman statesman and general Gaius Julius Caesar. The series spans four novels and was released between 2003 and 2005...
. The series is based around the life of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, from childhood (The Gates of Rome) to his eventual betrayal and death (The Gods of War). The film option
Option (films)
In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement between a potential film producer, such as a movie studio, a production company or an individual, and a writer or third party who holds ownership of a screenplay...
has been sold to Spitfire Productions (an Intermedia company).
The author has indicated that in the future he will write a fifth book that deals with the events after the end of The Gods of War
The Gods of War
The Gods of War is the fourth novel in the Emperor series, written by British author Conn Iggulden. The series is historical fiction following the life of Julius Caesar.- Plot summary :...
. He mentions it on his website 'projects'.
After completing the fourth book in the Emperor series, Iggulden began research for his next series of books, the Conqueror series, based on the life of Mongol warlords Genghis
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
, Ogedai and Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan , born Kublai and also known by the temple name Shizu , was the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294 and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China...
. His first book was available from 2007. Bones of the Hills
Bones of the Hills
Bones of the Hills is the third book of the Conqueror series, based on the life of Mongol warlord Genghis by Conn Iggulden. It focuses mainly on the mongol invasion of Islamic Central Asia, the war against shah Muhammad II of Khwarezm and his son Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu and the brutal massacres...
, the third in the series, was released on 1 September 2008. In September 2010 Empire of Silver was released, which revolves around the life of Genghis Khan's son, Ogedai. Whilst Iggulden had initially confirmed on his official website that he would be writing two more books after Empire of Silver on Kublai Khan, the author's note at the end of Conqueror states that it would be the last in the series. Iggulden explains his desire to leave the character when he still had much left to accomplish, rather than tracing him through to his eventual downfall, as he did with Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
and Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
.
Iggulden has previously stated that he will write one more Emperor
Emperor (book series)
Emperor is an internationally acclaimed historical novel series by British author Conn Iggulden about the life of Roman statesman and general Gaius Julius Caesar. The series spans four novels and was released between 2003 and 2005...
book, this time based on Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
.
Children's books
Iggulden co-wrote a book with his brother Hal, The Dangerous Book for BoysThe Dangerous Book for Boys
The Dangerous Book for Boys, by Conn and Hal Iggulden, is a guidebook published by HarperCollins, aimed at boys "from eight to eighty." It covers around eighty topics, including how to build a treehouse, grow a crystal, or tell direction with a watch...
. It covers around eighty topics, from building a soapbox
Soapbox (car)
A gravity racer is a motorless vehicle capable of holding a driver built for the purpose of racing or recreation. They are propelled by gravity and can achieve speeds upwards of 112 km/h .-Soapbox cars:...
racer and tying knots, to learning about famous battles and how to make potassium aluminium sulphate
Potassium alum
Potassium alum, potash alum or tawas is the potassium double sulfate of aluminium. Its chemical formula is KAl2 and it is commonly found in its dodecahydrate form as KAl2·12. Alum is the common name for this chemical compound, given the nomenclature of potassium aluminum sulfate dodecahydrate...
crystals. It was released in the UK in June 2006, reprinted a month later and was voted British Book of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards.
On September 2009 he wrote a children's book Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children through HarperCollins. Iggulden has since written three stories to accompany the story of the Tollins.
Other works
In March 2006, Iggulden released a novelette entitled Blackwater, part of the Quick Reads initiative of World Book Day 2006. Being a thriller, Blackwater was a change in genre for Iggulden who had mainly written historical fiction.Emperor series
- The Gates of RomeThe Gates of RomeThe Gates Of Rome is the first novel in the Emperor series, written by author Conn Iggulden. The series is historical fiction following the life of Julius Caesar.-Plot introduction:...
(2003) - The Death of KingsThe Death of KingsThe Death of Kings is a novel by British author Conn Iggulden, and is the second book in the Emperor series, which follows the life of Julius Caesar.The book was released in the UK in January 2004, published by HarperCollins.-Plot summary:...
(2004) - The Field of SwordsThe Field of SwordsThe Field of Swords is the third novel in the Emperor series, written by British author Conn Iggulden. The series is historical fiction following the life of Julius Caesar....
(2005) - The Gods of WarThe Gods of WarThe Gods of War is the fourth novel in the Emperor series, written by British author Conn Iggulden. The series is historical fiction following the life of Julius Caesar.- Plot summary :...
(2006) - 1 untitled fifth book (TBA)
Conqueror series
- Wolf of the PlainsWolf of the PlainsWolf of the Plains is a historical novel from English author Conn Iggulden. It is the first book in the Conqueror series based on the Mongols of the Asian steppes...
(2007, ISBN 978-0007201754) (titled Genghis: Birth of an Empire in North America, 2010, ISBN 978-0385344210) - Lords of the BowLords of the BowLords of the Bow is the second book of the Conqueror series, based on the life of Mongol warlord Genghis Khan by Conn Iggulden...
(2008, ISBN 978-0007201778) (titled Genghis: Lords of the Bow in North America, 2010, ISBN 978-0385342797) - Bones of the HillsBones of the HillsBones of the Hills is the third book of the Conqueror series, based on the life of Mongol warlord Genghis by Conn Iggulden. It focuses mainly on the mongol invasion of Islamic Central Asia, the war against shah Muhammad II of Khwarezm and his son Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu and the brutal massacres...
(2008, ISBN 978-0007201792) (titled Genghis: Bones of the Hills in North America, 2010, ISBN 978-0385342803) - Empire of SilverEmpire of SilverEmpire of Silver is the fourth book of the Conqueror series, based on the life of Mongol warlord Genghis's son Ogedai by Conn Iggulden. It focuses mainly on the Mongol attacks on Russia, the problems of succession and the building of Karakorum....
(2010, ISBN 978-0007288007) (titled Khan: Empire of Silver in North America, 2010, ISBN 978-0385339544) - ConquerorConqueror (Novel)Conqueror is the fifth and final book of the Conqueror series written by Conn Iggulden. From a wise scholar to one of history’s most powerful warriors, Conqueror tells the story of Kublai Khan – an extraordinary man who should be remembered alongside Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great and Napoleon...
(2011)
Dangerous books
- The Dangerous Book for BoysThe Dangerous Book for BoysThe Dangerous Book for Boys, by Conn and Hal Iggulden, is a guidebook published by HarperCollins, aimed at boys "from eight to eighty." It covers around eighty topics, including how to build a treehouse, grow a crystal, or tell direction with a watch...
(2007) (with Hal Iggulden) - The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Do (2007) (with Hal Iggulden)
- The Dangerous Book for Boys Yearbook (2007) (with Hal Iggulden)
- The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Know (2008) (with Hal Iggulden)
- The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Wonders of the World (2008) (with Hal Iggulden)
- The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Facts, Figures and Fun (2008) (with Hal Iggulden)
- The Dangerous Book of Heroes (2009) (with David Iggulden)
Other
- Blackwater (2006)
- Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children (September 2009)
- How to Blow Up Tollins (with Lizzy Duncan) (October 2010)