Albert Jack
Albert Jack is a writer and historian and has become something of a publishing phenomenon since his first book Red Herrings and White Elephants, which explored the origins of well-known phrases in the English language, became a huge international bestseller (selling over 250,000 copies so far). The book was serialised by the Sunday Times for over a year and stayed in the top ten of the UK Sunday Times bestseller list for sixteen months.
His follow up book Shaggy Dogs and Black Sheep was also a best seller and has sold over 150,000 copies since publication in October 2005. It became Penguin Book’s Christmas bestseller. His hilarious third book, a study of Urban Legends called Phantom Hitchhikers is also a bestseller and was released in paperback in September 2007. In the same month Red Herrings and White Elephants was re-released for the first time in paperback and Albert has provided 30% more content for a revised and expanded version that returned Red herrings to the best-seller list once again.
Fascinated by discovering the truth behind the world’s great stories, Albert Jack has become an expert in explaining the unexplained, which is great news for conversations and storytellers everywhere. He is now a veteran of hundreds of live television shows and thousands of radio appearances worldwide. His books have become bestsellers in Great Britain, Europe, America, Canada, South Africa, Australia and translated into many different languages including Japanese, Chinese, French, Portuguese and Hungarian
In 2007, Albert Jack’s Loch Ness Monsters and Raining Frogs, a study of the world’s great mysteries from the Bermuda Triangle to the disappearance of Glen Miller. Crop Circles, Loch Ness Monster, UFO’s, Marylyn Monroe and the Mary Celeste have also come under investigation along with many more famous stories. Albert uncovers the sometimes surprising truth and his acerbic wit makes for an entertaining read. Loch Ness Monsters was to be the third book Albert released in the autumn of 2007 and in March 2009 Random House published the same title in America.
In 2008 Penguin UK released the bestselling Pop Goes the Weasel, Albert’s book exploring the dark history and meaning of nursery rhymes that became an instant best-seller and offered the writer new contract to produce two brand new Albert Jack books for release in 2009 and 2010. The first of these, The Old Dog and Duck, Albert’s fascinating historic study of the origins of pub and hotel names is due in the shops on September 3rd 2009, closely followed by Penguin USA issuing stateside versions of Pop Goes the Weasel on 6th October and Shaggy Dogs and Black Sheep in March 2010
In September 2010 What Caesar did for my Salad, Albert’s humorous study of our favourite foods reveals who Caesar really was, why sausages are bangers, what the Tartars had to with raw steak why the Thousand Islands developed their seafood sauce and who Margarita was and why she inspired the world’s most famous pizza. What Caesar did for my Salad is due for release in America in November 2011.
The success of his books has a lot to do with Albert’s invention of what he calls the ‘ten minute read,’ enabling readers to open his books at any point and be fully entertained for ten minutes at a time before ‘going off to do something more productive with their time.’
Currently working on a children’s book, Albert Jack’s Bed Time Stories with illustrator Ama Page, the writer has plans for another ten hard backs that look set to continue his success for many years to come. Albert Jack is also an accomplished lecturer and after dinner speaker and speech writer.