Itemize Books In Favor Of David Attenborough's Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster
| Original Title: | David Attenborough: Life on Air |
| ISBN: | 0563487801 (ISBN13: 9780563487807) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Specify Regarding Books David Attenborough's Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster
| Title | : | David Attenborough's Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster |
| Author | : | David Attenborough |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 384 pages |
| Published | : | September 4th 2003 by BBC Books (first published 2002) |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. Biography. Autobiography. Audiobook. Science |
Relation In Pursuance Of Books David Attenborough's Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster
David Attenborough hardly needs any introduction; his voice has accompanied so many of the best natural history programs that have graced our televisions over several decades. Life On Air, his autobiography, tells the story of how he has managed to professionalise his schoolboy interests in such a remarkably successful way.Attenborough's Life On Air began in 1950, having taken a degree in Natural Sciences in the University of Cambridge, done National Service in the Navy, got married, done a year as an editor with an educational publisher, had a son and then answered a BBC recruiting ad in the Times. Turned down for BBC Radio, he was offered a traineeship in BBC TV which was pioneering the medium in Britain and he has never looked back. The rest is TV history and you can read Sir David's personal view of it all in his engaging and highly entertaining book.
This is no boring story of the rise and rise of a media mogul in the smoke-filled rooms of Ally Pally and Lime Grove. Having served his apprenticeship producing programmes like Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? and Song Hunter with the famous American folk singer and song collector Alan Lomax, he managed to escape from the confines of overlit studios into the natural world. Zoo Quest began in 1954 with an animal collecting trip to Sierra Leone and David Attenborough had found his metier. Since then he has managed to bring the wonders of the natural world into millions of living rooms around the world and to reach general audiences without patronising them, without any spurious antics, silly voices or dumbing down. His animal and plant subjects are the stars, Attenborough is the master of ceremonies who introduces the acts for our wonder and amazement. But his scope extends way beyond the birds and the bees.
In the 1960s, it was suggested that he took up an administrative post--"after all, you won't want to be gallivanting around the world when you are 50". Fortunately, he did not abandon gallivanting for admin but went freelance, studied anthropology and helped extend our view of native peoples and sympathies for their life styles. He went on to become responsible for coming up with famous BBC TV series such as Kenneth Clark's incredibly successful Civilisation series, followed by Bronowski's The Ascent of Man. Inevitably, he did become one of the BBC suits but one that wore a camouflage jacket.
What is remarkable is that Attenborough has managed to do it for so long without really changing his own style too much. He has not had to because the technology has changed and so he has constantly been able to give new views and insights into the details of life on Earth. Writing pretty much as he speaks, it is easy to hear his voice, dry sense of humour and generosity coming through all the time. Do not expect to read personal details, navel-gazing or malicious gossip--that is not his style. The only personal note comes at the end with the death of his wife in 1997. Over 100 photos associated with the huge range of programmes he has been intimately involved with decorate Life On Air, a fascinating personal story of our times. He says that he knows of "no pleasure deeper than that which comes from contemplating the natural world and trying to understand it"; he certainly manages to convey that in Life On Air. --Douglas Palmer
Rating Regarding Books David Attenborough's Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster
Ratings: 4.41 From 3046 Users | 305 ReviewsWeigh Up Regarding Books David Attenborough's Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster
I will let you in on a secret. I knew I would give this book 4 or 5 stars before even starting it. David Attenborough was the hero of my childhood and a set of his VHS tapes sold by TV shopping was the object of my deepest desire. They were so expensive, and I could never convince my mum to buy them (or, seeing the price, didnt dare to try even) but I did passionately watch those ads. I was absolutely obsessed with all things animals - I memorised Latin names of countless of species, I read all[] the fundamental reason why I have spent my life in the way I have, and why I am reluctant to stop making programmes, is that I know of no pleasure deeper than that which comes from contemplating the natural world and trying to understand it.Who cannot agree with that statement? Every time I watch a documentary with him, Jeff Corwin, Austin Stevens, Kevin Richardson or late Steve Irwin, as well as many others, I cannot help feeling a pang of envy at their marvelous lives. To be able to connect
This is one of the very best audiobooks I've read. David Attenborough reads his own memoir in his own measured, professional, passionate style that anybody familiar with any of his documentaries will be entirely familiar with. He also injects his own brand of slightly sly yet twinkling good natured sense of humour fairly regularly.Anybody who is a fan of his work should read this book; it's like having the man himself over to stay for a week or so, and spending several sessions out on the porch
I listened to the audio book which, when you have a narrator as good as Attenborough himself, can't be beat. It's an account of his broadcasting career. There is little of his personal life here (his brother gets one mention). It starts with him joining the BBC and goes on from there. I found it to be very interesting and, surprisingly to me, very funny in places. The best stories are from his Zoo Quest days in the 50's. I started to lose interest towards the end. But overall enjoyed it a lot.
David Attenborough is one of my personal heroes. He has an unquenchable curiosity about the natural world and anthropology of tribal cultures; a quiet passion for public service; a talent for applying new technologies as they become relevant to his work; and an incredibly dry sense of humor that weaves throughout every story he tells. And he is a born story-teller.He virtually invented the modern nature documentary with "Zoo Quest" in the 1950s, and continued to push the envelope in this field
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David Attenborough is a hero of mine. I guess that I was lucky in that I was introduced to his documentaries as a young boy. I remember my father watched a variety of documentaries and always encouraged me to watch them too, but David's were the only ones I watched. And while I was an avid watcher as a young person, it was only until i was studying science in my late youth and early adulthood that I truly become a huge fan. Last time he visited Australia I went to see him give a talk in Canberra
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