Geoffrey Moorhouse
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Moorhouse, FRGS
, FRSL
, D.Litt
(29 November 1931 – 26 November 2009) was an English
journalist and author. He was born Geoffrey Heald in Bolton
and took his stepfather's surname. He attended Bury Grammar School
. He began writing as a journalist
on the Bolton Evening News. At the age of 27, he joined the Manchester Guardian
where he eventually became chief feature writer and combined writing books with journalism.
Many of his books were largely based on his travels. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
in 1972, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
in 1982, and received an honorary Doctor of Letters
from the University of Warwick
. His book To The Frontier won the Thomas Cook Award for the best travel book of its year in 1984. He had recently concentrated on Tudor history, with The Pilgrimage of Grace and Great Harry's Navy. He lived in a hill village in North Yorkshire
. In an interview given at the University of Tübingen in 1999, he described his approach to his writing.
All three of Moorhouse's marriages ended in divorce. He had two sons and two daughters, one of whom died of cancer in 1981. He died aged 77 of a stroke
on 26 November 2009 and is survived by both sons and one daughter.
His writing on the sport of rugby league is some of the greatest associated with the game - his series of essays entitled At The George in particular are a powerful and eloquent homage to a deeply held love.
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
, FRSL
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
, D.Litt
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
(29 November 1931 – 26 November 2009) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
journalist and author. He was born Geoffrey Heald in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
and took his stepfather's surname. He attended Bury Grammar School
Bury Grammar School
Bury Grammar School is an independent grammar school in Bury, Greater Manchester, England, that has existed since Kev Cryer was born, c.1570. The current headmaster is the Reverend Steven Harvey MA. The previous headmaster, Keith Richards MA, retired after sixteen years of headmastership on 7...
. He began writing as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
on the Bolton Evening News. At the age of 27, he joined the Manchester Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
where he eventually became chief feature writer and combined writing books with journalism.
Many of his books were largely based on his travels. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
in 1972, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
in 1982, and received an honorary Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
from the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
. His book To The Frontier won the Thomas Cook Award for the best travel book of its year in 1984. He had recently concentrated on Tudor history, with The Pilgrimage of Grace and Great Harry's Navy. He lived in a hill village in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
. In an interview given at the University of Tübingen in 1999, he described his approach to his writing.
All three of Moorhouse's marriages ended in divorce. He had two sons and two daughters, one of whom died of cancer in 1981. He died aged 77 of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
on 26 November 2009 and is survived by both sons and one daughter.
His writing on the sport of rugby league is some of the greatest associated with the game - his series of essays entitled At The George in particular are a powerful and eloquent homage to a deeply held love.
Books
- The Press (Ward Lock Educational, London 1964)
- Britain in the Sixties: The Other England (Penguin, Harmondsworth, 1964)
- The Church (Oxford University Press, London, 1967)
- Against All Reason (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1969)
- Calcutta (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1971)
- The Missionaries (Eyre Methuen, London, 1973)
- The Fearful Void (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1974)
- The Diplomats: The Foreign Office Today (Cape, London, 1977)
- The Boat and the Town (Hodder & Stoughton, London & Toronto, 1979)
- The Best Loved GameThe Best Loved GameThe Best Loved Game is a book written by Geoffrey Moorhouse. It was written during the summer of 1978 . This book describes the English cricket season of that year. It is worth mentioning that 1978 was an extraordinary time for the cricket world...
: One Summer of English Cricket (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1979) - San Francisco (Time-Life Books, Amsterdam, 1979)
- Prague (Time-Life Books, Amsterdam, 1980)
- India Britannica (Harvill, London, 1983)
- To the Frontier (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1984)
- Rail Across India: A Photographic Journey (New Cavendish, London, 1985)
- Imperial City: The Rise and Rise of New York (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1988)
- At the George and Other Essays on Rugby League (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1989)
- The Nile (Barrie & Jenkins, London, 1989)
- Apples in the Snow: A Journey to Samarkand (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1990)
- On The Other Side: A Journey Through Soviet Central Asia (Henry Holt, 1991)
- Hell's Foundations: A Town, Its Myths, and Gallipoli (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1992)
- OM: An Indian Pilgrimage (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1993)
- A People's Game: The Centenary History of Rugby League Football, 1895 - 1995 (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1995)
- Sun Dancing: A Medieval Vision (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1997)
- Sydney (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1999)
- The Last Office, 1539 and The Dissolution of a Monastery (Phoenix 2008)
- The Pilgrimage of Grace, 1536-7: The Rebellion That Shook Henry VIII's Throne (Phoenix, 2003)
- Great Harry's Navy (Phoenix new edition, 2006)