Michael Sims (born February 17, 1958 in Crossville, TN) is an American nonfiction writer. His books include ''Darwin's Orchestra'' (1997), ''Adam's Navel'' (2003), ''Apollo’s Fire'' (2007), ''In the Womb: Animals'' (2009), and ''The Story of Charlotte's Web'' (2011). He is also an anthologist, editor of several volumes of Victorian and Edwardian fiction and poetry.

Early life

Born in rural eastern Tennessee, near the small town of Crossville, Sims has described in interviews how he grew up in a household without a telephone, an automobile, or, at times, indoor plumbing. He spent his teenage years in a wheelchair because of

rheumatic arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are involv ...

following an attack of

rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a streptococcal throat infection. Signs and symptoms include fever, multiple painful jo ...

Although Robert Macfarlane (writer), Robert Macfarlane in the

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

(London) said that Sims "is clearly the beneficiary of a wide-ranging American liberal-arts education", actually Sims did not attend university. But he developed in childhood a preoccupation with literature, art, and nature, themes that dominate his adult work.

Career

Sims published his first book, ''Darwin's Orchestra'', in 1997, about which

Martin Gardner Martin Gardner (October 21, 1914May 22, 2010) was an American popular mathematics and popular science writer with interests also encompassing scientific skepticism, micromagic, philosophy, religion, and literatureespecially the writings of Lewis ...

wrote, "Sims's range is awesome." But it was Sims's second book, ''Adam's Navel: A Natural and Cultural History of the Human Form'', in 2003, that established his reputation as an original and witty observer of the natural world. Published simultaneously in the U.S. and England, it was chosen as a

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

Best Science Book and a New York Times Notable Book. In 2007 Viking published ''Apollo's Fire: A Day on Earth in Nature and Imagination,'' which National Public Radio chose as one of the best science books of the year. In 2009 National Geographic Books published ''In the Womb: Animals'', a companion book to two installments of the acclaimed In the Womb series on the National Geographic Channel. Sims's writing has been published in many periodicals, including the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

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Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'', ''

Chronicle of Higher Education ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals (staff members and administrators). A subscription is required to rea ...

'', ''

Gourmet Gourmet (, ) is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterized by refined, even elaborate preparations and presentations of aesthetically balanced meals of several contrasting, of ...

'', '' Orion'' and ''

American Archaeology The archaeology of the Americas is the study of the archaeology of the Western Hemisphere, including North America (Mesoamerica), Central America, South America and the Caribbean. This includes the study of pre-historic/Pre-Columbian and histor ...

''. He has appeared on many radio and television programs, including a multi-part documentary about women's bodies on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

's popular program ''

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by A ...

,'' as well as on ''The Early Show'' on CBS and ''Inside Edition''.

Books by Michael Sims

1997
''Darwin’s Orchestra: An Almanac of Nature in History and the Arts''
(Henry Holt) 2003
''Adam’s Navel: A Natural and Cultural History of the Human Form''
(Viking; published in England by Allen Lane/Penguin, with the subtitles "A Natural and Cultural History of the Human Body" and "The Weird and Wonderful Story of the Human Body") 2007 �
''Apollo’s Fire: A Day on Earth in Nature and Imagination''
(Viking); U.S. paperback (Penguin) subtitle "A Journey through the Extraordinary Wonders of an Ordinary Day" 2009 �
''In the Womb: Animals''
(National Geographic Books), linked to a documentary series on the National Geographic Channel 2011
''The Story of Charlotte's Web''
(Walker) subtitle "E. B. White's Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic" 2014
"The Adventures of Henry Thoreau: A Young Man's Unlikely Path to Walden Pond"
(Bloomsbury USA) 2017 - www.goodreads.com/book/show/30038995-arthur-and-sherlock Arthur and Sherlock (Bloomsbury)

Collections edited

2006 �
''The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel''
by

Don Marquis Donald Robert Perry Marquis ( ; July 29, 1878 – December 29, 1937) was an American humorist, journalist, and author. He was variously a novelist, poet, newspaper columnist, and playwright. He is remembered best for creating the characters Ar ...

, Edited with Notes and Introduction by Michael Sims (Penguin Classics) 2007 �
''Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Thief''
by

Maurice Leblanc Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc (; ; 11 December 1864 – 6 November 1941) was a French novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin, often described as a French c ...

, Edited with Notes and Introduction by Michael Sims (Penguin Classics) 2009 �
''The Penguin Book of Gaslight Crime''
Edited with Notes and Introduction by Michael Sims (Penguin Classics) 2010 �
''Dracula's Guest: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Vampire Stories''
Edited with Notes and Introduction by Michael Sims (Walker & Company) 2011
''The Penguin Book of Victorian Women in Crime: Forgotten Cops and Private Eyes from the Time of Sherlock Holmes''
Edited with Notes and Introduction by Michael Sims (Penguin Classics) 2011
"The Dead Witness: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Detective Stories"
Edited with Notes and Introduction by Michael Sims (Walker & Company)

External links

Official Website

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Anthony Esolen Anthony M. Esolen is a writer, social commentator, translator of classical poetry, and Writer-in-Residence at Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts. He taught at Furman University and Providence College before transferring to the Thomas More Coll ...

,''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', 11 June 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sims, Michael American social sciences writers 1958 births Living people People from Cumberland County, Tennessee