Tim Newark (Editor)
Tim Newark was appointed editor of Military Illustrated in 1994. He was born in 1961 on St George’s day. He was educated at Brentwood County High School in Essex and studied the History of Art at University College London and the Warburg Institute. In 1979, his first book Medieval Warfare (Jupiter) was published while he was still at school.
In 1985, Tim Newark’s The Barbarians was published by Blandford. With illustrations by Angus McBride, this popular history of the fall of Rome became a best-seller, going through seven reprints in two years. The sequel in 1986, Celtic Warriors, was also a best-seller and was followed by Medieval Warlords and Women Warlords. The first three books are still in print as an omnibus edition called Warlords.
In 1995, Tim began an association with Brassey’s and commissioned the 11-volume series of critically acclaimed military monographs entitled Brassey’s History of Uniforms. He wrote Brassey’s Book of Camouflage, published in 1996, the first book to tell the entire story of camouflage uniforms, and has continued to write several well-received popular military history books, including War in Britain (HarperCollins, 2000), Where They Fell (Barron’s, 2000), In Heroes’ Footsteps (Barron’s, 2001), and Turning the Tide of War (Hamlyn, 2001). In 2000, Tim began work as a scriptwriter and historical consultant for Nugus/Martin Productions, resulting in six TV documentary series, including Heroes & Weapons of WW2, screened by the History Channel, BBC Worldwide and Ch5.
In 2007, The Mafia at War (Greenhill) was published. Called Mafia Allies in the US (Zenith), it involved extensive archival research in London, New York, Washington, and Sicily. It has been well reviewed by Mafia authorities, and John Dickie, author of Cosa Nostra, recognised its depth of research in the BBC History Magazine. ‘Tim Newark’s admirable study,’ said Dickie, ‘is a meticulous rebuttal of all that is sensationalised and misleading.’ Best-selling historian Andrew Roberts chose it as a Book of the Year.
In 2009, Highlander (Constable) was the result of in-depth research in the archives of Highland regimental museums in Scotland and national collections. The book tells the story of Highland soldiers through their own words and reveals many long-hidden scandals.
Tim Newark has contributed book reviews and feature articles to the Financial Times, Telegraph and Time Out.
Tim Newark at Culloden battlefield in Scotland, researching ‘Highlander’
