H. V. F. Winstone
Encyclopedia
Harry Victor Frederick Winstone FRGS
, known as Victor, (3 August 1926 – 10 February 2010) was an English author and journalist, who specialised in Middle Eastern topics. He wrote biographies of several influential figures in the history of this region.
Victor Winstone worked as a reporter and features writer with weekly journals and a financial features agency from 1947 - 50. He was an industrial journal editor and press advisor to Royal Doulton
and others during the 1950s and 60s. From 1970 - 1982 he was a freelance writer and magazine editor, chiefly of journals about decorative and applied arts (Pottery Gazette, Tableware International, Home and Table, Ambassador). He also wrote for industrial and commercial publications and was the supervisory editor of the English edition of Automobile World (Zurich).
From 1975 - 1990 he was freelance special features writer for The Guardian
, book reviewer for The Daily Telegraph
, and was a contributor to Connoisseur, The Times
, and various specialist journals.
Winstone’s first biography was published in 1976 to positive reviews: Captain Shakespear: A Portrait, a study of the explorer William Shakespear
. A series of critically well-regarded books followed, mainly biographies of British figures associated with the nineteenth and twentieth century history of the Middle East, such as Gertrude Bell
, Gerard Leachman
, Leonard Woolley
, Howard Carter
and Lady Anne Blunt
.
Winstone was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
. Prior to his death, he lived in Bideford
, north Devon
, England.
Winstone died from lung cancer
on 10 February 2010.
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
, known as Victor, (3 August 1926 – 10 February 2010) was an English author and journalist, who specialised in Middle Eastern topics. He wrote biographies of several influential figures in the history of this region.
Victor Winstone worked as a reporter and features writer with weekly journals and a financial features agency from 1947 - 50. He was an industrial journal editor and press advisor to Royal Doulton
Royal Doulton
The Royal Doulton Company is an English company producing tableware and collectables, dating to 1815. Operating originally in London, its reputation grew in The Potteries, where it was a latecomer compared to Spode, Wedgwood and Minton...
and others during the 1950s and 60s. From 1970 - 1982 he was a freelance writer and magazine editor, chiefly of journals about decorative and applied arts (Pottery Gazette, Tableware International, Home and Table, Ambassador). He also wrote for industrial and commercial publications and was the supervisory editor of the English edition of Automobile World (Zurich).
From 1975 - 1990 he was freelance special features writer for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, book reviewer for The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, and was a contributor to Connoisseur, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, and various specialist journals.
Winstone’s first biography was published in 1976 to positive reviews: Captain Shakespear: A Portrait, a study of the explorer William Shakespear
William Shakespear (explorer)
Captain William Henry Irvine Shakespear , was an English civil servant and explorer who mapped uncharted areas of Northern Arabia and made the first official British contact with Ibn Sa'ud, future king of Saudi Arabia...
. A series of critically well-regarded books followed, mainly biographies of British figures associated with the nineteenth and twentieth century history of the Middle East, such as Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist who explored, mapped, and became highly influential to British imperial policy-making due to her extensive travels in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia. Along...
, Gerard Leachman
Gerard Leachman
Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Gerard Evelyn Leachman CIE DSO , was a British soldier and intelligence officer who travelled extensively in Arabia.Leachman was commissioned into the Royal Sussex Regiment and served in India and in the Boer War...
, Leonard Woolley
Leonard Woolley
Sir Charles Leonard Woolley was a British archaeologist best known for his excavations at Ur in Mesopotamia...
, Howard Carter
Howard Carter
Howard Carter may refer to:* Howard Carter , English archaeologist who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb* Howard Carter , American basketball player...
and Lady Anne Blunt
Lady Anne Blunt
Anne Isabella Noel Blunt, née King-Noel, 15th Baroness Wentworth , known for most of her life as Lady Anne Blunt, was co-founder, with her husband the poet Wilfrid Scawen Blunt, of the Crabbet Arabian Stud. The two married on 8 June 1869...
.
Winstone was a 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...
. Prior to his death, he lived in Bideford
Bideford
Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...
, north Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England.
Winstone died from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
on 10 February 2010.
Selected books and articles by H. V. F. Winstone
- Kuwait: Prospect and Reality London: Allen and Unwin (1972) (with Zahra FreethZahra FreethZahra Dickson Freeth is a British author, the daughter of H. R. P. Dickson and Dame Violet Dickson , who has written several books on the Middle East....
) - Captain Shakespear: A Portrait London: Jonathan Cape (1976)
- Gertrude Bell: A Biography London: Jonathan Cape (1976)
- Explorers of Arabia from the Renaissance to the End of the Victorian Era London: Allen and Unwin (1978) (edited by H. V. F. Winstone and Zahra Freeth)
- The Spirit of the East: An Anthology of Prose and Verse Inspired by the People, Places, and Legends of the East London: Quartet (1979) (edited by H. V. F. Winstone and Gerald de GauryGerald de GauryGerald de Gaury MC was a British military officer, Arabist, explorer, historian and diplomat.He served as part of the Hampshire Regiment in the First World War, where he was wounded on several occasions, including in the Gallipoli Campaign....
) - "A Journey to Hail" Saudi Aramco World 31(3) (May/June 1980) (with Zahra Freeth)
- The Road to Kabul: An Anthology London: Quartet (1981) (edited by H. V. F. Winstone and Gerald de Gaury)
- Diaries of Parker Pasha (ed.) London: Quartet (1982)
- The Illicit Adventure. The Story of Political and Military Intelligence in the Middle East from 1898 to 1926 London: Jonathan Cape (1982)
- Leachman, OC Desert: The Life of Lieutenant-Colonel Gerard Leachman D.S.O London: Quartet (1982)
- Royal Copenhagen Porcelain London: Stacey International (1983)
- Uncovering the Ancient World London: Constable (1985)
- Woolley of Ur London: Secker and Warburg (1990)
- Howard Carter and the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun London: Constable (1991)
- Lady Anne Blunt Manchester: Barzan Publishing (2003)