Russell Ash (18 June 1946 – 21 June 2010) was the British author of the '' Top 10 of Everything'' series of books, as well as ''Great Wonders of the World'', ''Incredible Comparisons'' and many other reference, art and humour titles, most notably his series of books on strange-but-true names, ''Potty, Fartwell & Knob'', ''Busty, Slag and Nob End'' and (for children) ''Big Pants, Burpy and Bumface''.Obituary, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'', 1 July 2010Obituary, ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...

'', 9 July 2010 Once described as 'the human Google', his obituary in ''

'' stated that 'In the age of the internet, it takes tenacity and idiosyncratic intelligence to make a living from purveying trivial information. Russell Ash did just that'.

Biography

Russell Ash was born in Surrey, a descendant of a family of craftsmen – goldsmiths and silversmiths in 18th-century London that included Claudius Ash (1792–1854), one of the pioneering inventors of false teeth. His father worked as a bookbinder for the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

Library and also served in the RAF in the Second World War. The family moved to Bedford, where he attended primary school and

Bedford Modern School Bedford Modern School (often called BMS) is a Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference independent school in Bedford, England. The school has its origins in The Harpur Trust, born from the endowments left by Sir William Harpur in the six ...

. He studied anthropology and geography at

St Cuthbert's Society St Cuthbert's Society, colloquially known as Cuth's, is a college of Durham University. It was founded in 1888 for students who were not attached to the existing colleges. St Cuthbert's Society is a Bailey college, based on Durham's peninsula next ...

, Durham University, and began a publishing career in 1967. He worked as a picture researcher for '' Man, Myth & Magic'' and a researcher/writer for

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...

Books and as European Correspondent for

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

Books on their ''Wonders of Man'' series. In 1973, with his friend Ian Grant, Russell Ash established the publishing company Ash & Grant, that ran for five years. He was also a director of

Weidenfeld & Nicolson Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991. History George Weidenfeld a ...

in 1980–83, where he worked with authors including comedian

Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film pr ...

(a.k.a.

Dame Edna Everage Dame Edna Everage, often known simply as Dame Edna, is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, known for her lilac-coloured ("wisteria hue") hair and cat eye glasses ("face furniture"); her favourite flower, t ...

), and Pavilion Books in 1984–88, where he published works by satirist John Wells, Hockney Posters and numerous other illustrated books. However, his principal occupation was that of freelance author, having written or contributed to over a hundred non-fiction books. He was married to Caroline Ash, fundraiser with the Malaria Consortium, and has a daughter and two sons.

Death

He lived in Lewes, East Sussex, from 1991 until his death from a heart attack.

Work

Russell Ash wrote for both adults and children on a diverse range of subjects, including reference, art, history, biography and humour. 'Top 10 of Everything', probably his best-known work, has been published annually since 1989 and was the basis of a children's TV series broadcast on ITV in 1998–2001. Related books – ''The Top 10 of Sport'', ''The Top 10 of Music'', ''The Top 10 of Film'', ''Top 10 for Men'', ''Top 10 of Britain'' and others – have been issued at intervals. Formerly published by Dorling Kindersley, ''Top 10 of Everything'' has been published by Hamlyn since 2006 and also appears in a number of translations. The art books Russell Ash wrote during the 1990s include titles on the Pre-Raphaelites, the

Impressionists Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...

and their contemporaries:

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, (; born Lourens Alma Tadema ; 8 January 1836 – 25 June 1912) was a Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom becoming the last officially recognised denizen in 1873. Born in Dronryp, the Netherlands, ...

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Comte Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901) was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist and illustrator whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of Paris in th ...

James Tissot Jacques Joseph Tissot (; 15 October 1836 – 8 August 1902), anglicized as James Tissot (), was a French painter and illustrator. He was a successful painter of fashionable, modern scenes and society life in Paris before moving to London in 1871 ...

, Sir

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August, 183317 June, 1898) was a British painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood which included Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Millais, Ford Madox Brown and Holman ...

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...

Lord Leighton Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classical subje ...

and Sir

John Everett Millais Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest ...

. He compiled a range of illustrated information books for children, including ''Incredible Comparisons'' (1996), ''The World in One Day'' (1997), ''The Factastic Book of 1001 Lists'' (1998), ''Factastic Millennium Facts'' (1999) and ''Great Wonders of the World'' (2000), all of which were published by Dorling Kindersley and internationally in numerous editions. He was the co-author (with Brian Lake) of ''Fish Who Answer the Telephone and Other Bizarre Books'' (2006). Among his other publications are ''Whitaker's World of Facts'' (annual 2005–; published in North America as ''Firefly's World of Facts''), ''Potty, Fartwell & Knob: Extraordinary but True Names of British People'' (2007; expanded paperback 2008; US edition as ''Morecock, Fartwell, & Hoare'', 2009), ''Busty, Slag and Nob End'' (2009) and ''Big Pants, Burpy and Bumface'' (2009). He was a contributor to a number of annual publications, including ''

Whitaker's Almanack ''Whitaker's'' is a reference book, published annually in the United Kingdom. The book was originally published by J Whitaker & Sons from 1868 to 1997, then by The Stationery Office until 2003, and then by A & C Black which became a wholly owned ...

'' and ''Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook'' and an occasional journalist, who contributed articles to various British national newspapers. On 7 April 2008, he took part in BBC2's ''

University Challenge ''University Challenge'' is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. ''University Challenge'' aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC ...

: The Professionals'', in the team representing the

Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and ass ...

, which also comprised

Antony Beevor Sir Antony James Beevor, (born 14 December 1946) is a British military historian. He has published several popular historical works on the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War. Early life Born in Kensington, Beevor was educated at tw ...

(captain),

Katie Fforde Katie Fforde, née Catherine Rose Gordon-Cumming (born 27 September 1952), is a British romance novelist. Published since 1995, her romance novels are set in modern-day England. She is founder of the Katie Fforde Bursary for writers who have y ...

and Anna Claybourne.

Bibliography

Art

* ''Alma-Tadema'' (1973) * ''Alma-Tadema'' (catalogue of the Funt Collection) (1973) * ''Victorian Studio Photographs'' (with

Bevis Hillier Bevis Hillier (born 28 March 1940) is an English art historian, author and journalist. He has written on Art Deco, and also a biography of Sir John Betjeman. Life and work Hillier was born in Redhill, Surrey, where the family lived at 27, Wh ...

''et al.'') (1975) * ''The Impressionists and their Art'' (1980) * ''Selections from the Reader's Digest Collection'' (1986) * ''Sir

Lawrence Alma-Tadema Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, (; born Lourens Alma Tadema ; 8 January 1836 – 25 June 1912) was a Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom becoming the last officially recognised denizen in 1873. Born in Dronryp, the Netherlands, ...

'' (1989) * ''Toulouse-Lautrec: The Complete Posters'' (1991) * ''The Impressionists’ River'' (1992) * ''

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...

's Provence'' (1992) * ''

'' (1992) * ''Sir

'' (1993) * ''

'' (1995) * ''Impressionists' Seasons'' (1995) * ''

'' (1995) * ''Sir John Everett Millais'' (1996) * ''Victorian Masters and their Art'' (1999)

Biography and history

* ''Highwaymen'' (1970) * ''Britain's Buried Treasures'' (1972) * ''Wrecks & Sunken Treasure'' (1972) * ''Comets'' (with Ian Grant) (1973) * ''The Wright Brothers'' (1974) * ''Dear Cats: The Post Office Letters'' (1986) * ''Highwaymen'' (revised edition) (1994) * ''Great

Wonders of the World Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled from antiquity to the present day, in order to catalogue the world's most spectacular natural features and human-built structures. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the o ...

'' (2000)

Humour

* ''Dead Funny'' (with Ian Grant) (1974) * ''The Cynic's Dictionary'' (1984) * ''The Official British Yuppie Handbook'' (1984) * ''Last Laughs'' (with Ian Grant) (1984) * ''Bizarre Books'' (with Brian Lake) (1985) * ''Howlers'' (1985) * ''They Didn't Really Mean It'' (1987) * ''I'll Drink to That'' (1987, with Bernard Higton) * ''Private Parts'' (1987, with Bernard Higton) * ''The Uncensored Boy's Own'' (1990, as 'Dick Beresford') * ''The Uncensored Guide to the Movies'' (1991, as 'Dick Beresford') * ''Henry & Caroline at Home'' (with Joanna Isles) (1990) * ''Tall Stories'' (1994) * ''Bizarre Books'' (with Brian Lake; new edition) (1998) * ''Fish Who Answer the Telephone and other Bizarre Books'' (with Brian Lake) (2006) * ''Potty, Fartwell & Knob'' (2007) ; expanded paperback (2008) ; US (as ''Morecock, Fartwell, & Hoare'') (2009) * ''Busty, Slag and Nob End (2009) * ''Big Pants, Burpy and Bumface'' (2009) * ''It Just Slipped Out... A Bulging Encyclopedia of

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...

s'' (2010) .

Literature and language

* ''The Vampyre: A Tale by John William Polidori'' (introduction) (1974) * '' Edward Lear's Book of Nonsense'' (introduction) (1980) * ''Alice's Adventures Under Ground'' (

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...

; introduction) (1985) * ''The Life and Times of

Paddington Bear Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October 1958 in the children's book ''A Bear Called Paddington'' and has been featured in more than twenty books written by British author Michael Bond, a ...

'' (with

Michael Bond Thomas Michael Bond (13 January 1926 – 27 June 2017) was a British author. He is best known for a series of fictional stories for children, featuring the character of Paddington Bear. More than 35 million Paddington books have been sold ...

) (1988) * '' Larkrise to Candleford Diary'' (1989) * ''A Dictionary of

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

Slang'' (

Eric Partridge Eric Honeywood Partridge (6 February 1894 – 1 June 1979) was a New Zealand– British lexicographer of the English language, particularly of its slang. His writing career was interrupted only by his service in the Army Education Corps an ...

; introduction) (1990)

Reference and trivia

* ''Fact or Fiction?'' (1973) * ''Talking about the Family'' (1973) * ''Talking about Race'' (1974) * ''The Pig Book'' (1985) * ''The Londoner's Almanac'' (1985) * ''The Frog Book'' (1986) * ''The Daily Trivia Diary '87'' (1986) * '' Top 10 of Everything'' (annual; 1989–2009) (UK); (US) (latest edition) * ''The Top 10 of Sport'' (with Ian Morrison) (1992) * ''The Top 10 of Music'' (with Luke Crampton and Barry Lazell) (1993) * ''Top 10 Quiz Book'' (1996) * ''Incredible Comparisons'' (1996) * ''Crucial Top 10'' (1997) * ''The World in One Day'' (1997) * ''Factastic Book of 1001 Lists'' (1998) * ''Factastic Book of Comparisons'' (1999) * ''Factastic Millennium Facts'' (1999) * ''The Top 10 of Sport'' (with Ian Morrison; new edition) (2002) * ''The Top 10 of Film'' (2003) * ''Whitaker's World of Facts'' (annual; 2005–2008) (UK); US (as ''Firefly's Book of Facts'') (latest edition) * ''Top 10 for Men'' (2008) * ''Top 10 of Britain'' (2009) * ''Top 10 of Football'' (with Ian Morrison) (2010)

External links

''Top 10 of Everything'' collectors’ website

''Whitaker’s World of Facts'' website

''Potty, Fartwell & Knob'' website

''Busty, Slag and Nob End'' website

''Times Educational Supplement'' interview with Russell Ash by Michael Thorn

* ttp://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/family/story/0,,1860604,00.html ''Guardian'' feature on Russell Ash by Juliet Rix
''Independent'' article containing references to Russell Ash by Boyd Tonkin

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ash, Russell 1946 births 2010 deaths Alumni of St Cuthbert's Society, Durham British non-fiction writers People educated at Bedford Modern School People from Lewes British male writers Male non-fiction writers