David Horton (writer)
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David Robert Horton (born 1945) is an Australian writer who has been described as a
polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
, with qualifications and careers in science and the arts. He is known for his compilation of the work '' The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, society and culture'' in 1994, and its accompanying map of Aboriginal groupings across Australia.


Early life, education and research

Horton was born in
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Western Australia, in 1945. He attended
John Curtin High School John Curtin College of the Arts, originally John Curtin High School, is an independent, public co-educational, partially selective high school, located in East Street, , a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The school provides a general and ...
In 1966 he was awarded Bachelor of Science, majoring in
zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
, with
Honours Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...
at the
University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
, and in 1967 Master of Science (zoology) at the
University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...
. He then undertook a Bachelor of Arts at University of New England in
Armidale, New South Wales Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. It ...
, graduating in 1973. He earned two doctorates and the University of New England: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in 1976 and
Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
(DLitt) in 1997. He was
teaching fellow A teaching fellow (sometimes referred to as a TF) is an individual at a higher education institution, including universities, whose role involves teaching and potentially pedagogic research. The work done by teaching fellows can vary enormously fr ...
at New England University from 1967 to 1973, alongside his studies there. After this, as a
postdoctoral fellow A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...
, he conducted research in
biogeography Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, ...
, graduating in 1974 at the
University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...
in northern England, where he continued to work until 1976. Horton's research between 1974 and 1984 included scincid lizards and biogeography,
archaeozoology Zooarchaeology (sometimes called archaeozoology), also known as faunal analysis, is a branch of archaeology that studies remains of animals from archaeological sites. Faunal remains are the items left behind when an animal dies. These include bon ...
(sites from the
Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...
to south-west
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
),
Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
extinctions, the role of fire in Australian ecosystems, and the Aboriginal occupation of Australia during the Pleistocene.


Career

Horton has had careers in
biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
,
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
and publishing and farming, as well as writing and editing many articles and books. He joined the then Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) (former name of the
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...
) as the Institute's
osteologist Osteology () is the scientific study of bones, practised by osteologists. A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, and paleontology, osteology is the detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, microbone morphology, funct ...
in 1974, the following year taking on the role of
paleoecologist Paleoecology (also spelled palaeoecology) is the study of interactions between organisms and/or interactions between organisms and their environments across geologic timescales. As a discipline, paleoecology interacts with, depends on and informs ...
. He was acting deputy principal at AIATSIS in 1984, and subsequently appointed manager of the Publications section, until he became Director of Publications in 1988–89 at Aboriginal Studies Press, the publishing arm of AIATSIS, a role he occupied until 1998. It was while he was director of publishing that he compiled, edited and published the work for which he became known, ''
The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia ''The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, society and culture'', edited by David Horton, is an encyclopaedia published by the Aboriginal Studies Press at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal ...
'', which won two
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...
as well as other awards. During his career, he published about 100 scientific papers as well several books on biology and archaeology.


Boards and other

He was a member of the International Council for
Archaeozoology Zooarchaeology (sometimes called archaeozoology), also known as faunal analysis, is a branch of archaeology that studies remains of animals from archaeological sites. Faunal remains are the items left behind when an animal dies. These include bon ...
(IZAC) and of an advisory panel for the
New South Wales Premier's History Awards The NSW Premier's History Awards honour distinguished achievement in the interpretation of history, through both the written word and non-print media by Australian citizens and permanent residents of Australia. History The State Government of New ...
in 1997.


Writing after retirement

After retirement, he devotes his time to being a professional writer and farmer. Between 2008 and 2011, he wrote many
opinion piece An opinion piece is an article, usually published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about a subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals. Editorials Opinion pieces may take the form of an editorial, ...
s for the ABC News website. He also published prolifically on a wide range of topics for the
HuffPost ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
until 2011.


Recognition

''The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia'' won many awards, including the NSW Premier's Literary Award 1995 "Book of the Year" and NSW Premier's Literary Award 1995 "Special Award".


Selected works

* *'' The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, society and culture'' Catalogue entry for all editions. * * *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, David Robert 21st-century Australian male writers 20th-century Australian male writers Living people 1945 births Writers from Perth, Western Australia Writers from Western Australia University of New England (Australia) alumni University of Western Australia alumni Academics of the University of York