Nigel C. Benson (born January 15, 1955) is a British author and illustrator. Benson was born in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, son of Ralph H. Benson, a fine artist specializing in oils and pastels, and Heather M. Benson. He grew up in

Dunstable Dunstable ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the ...

, Bedfordshire, and was educated at

Dunstable Grammar School Dunstable Grammar School was a grammar school in the market town of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. Opened in 1888, it was closed in 1971. The site is now home to residential flats and apartments. Foundation Dunstable Grammar School was esta ...

(where film star

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

and other notables were taught). He gained an Honours Degree in

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

at North East London Polytechnic (now the

University of East London , mottoeng = Knowledge and the fulfilment of vows , established = 1898 – West Ham Technical Institute1952 – West Ham College of Technology1970 – North East London Polytechnic1989 – Polytechnic of East London ...

) and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

through the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

. He is a PhD research student at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

Institute of Education IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) is the education school of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior to ...

. ''Dunstable in Detail'' (1986), published by The Book Castle, was Nigel Benson's first full-length book. This book includes original pen-and-ink illustrations and photographs plus a unique pull-out map of

town centre. There are 100 numbered features of interest within a half mile radius of the crossroads at the town centre, plus an extensive index and bibliography, enabling the book to be used as a practical tour guide as well as the standard reference for Dunstable's history. The book cover shows the Dunstable Priory Church, founded 1132 (one of the original illustrations by Nigel Benson). It was at this church that Henry VIII formally announced his divorce with Queen Catherine of Aragon in 1533. Nigel Benson is more widely known for his trilogy of books in the ''Introducing...'' series, published by

Icon Books Richard Appignanesi (born December 20, 1940) is a Canadian writer and editor. He was the originating editor of the internationally successful illustrated '' For Beginners'' book series (since 1991 called the '' Introducing...'' series), as well ...

(UK) / Totem (US): * ''Introducing Psychology'' (1998), an international best-seller, has been published in 20 languages in 27 countries. Nigel Benson designed the original cover. * ''Introducing Psychotherapy'' (2003), illustrated by

Borin Van Loon Borin Van Loon (born 1951 in East Anglia) is a British illustrator and comic book artist, best known for his illustrations for the '' Introducing...'' series of graphic books on complex subjects. He is an author, collagist, and surrealist paint ...

, includes a summary of alternative/complementary therapies as well as the conventional therapies, including the talking cures of psychoanalysis, behavioural and cognitive techniques, somatic solutions, and individual and group therapies. * ''Introducing

Psychiatry Psychiatry is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psych ...

'' (2004), illustrated by Piero, includes a brief history of psychiatry, what happens when someone visits a psychiatrist, a summary of the eight main categories of mental disorders, criticisms such as the

Anti-Psychiatry Anti-psychiatry is a movement based on the view that psychiatric treatment is often more damaging than helpful to patients, highlighting controversies about psychiatry. Objections include the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis, the questionabl ...

movement, and the possible future of psychiatry. Other writings include contributions to the three separate hardback books: * ''The Healing Brain'' (Reader's Digest, 2002) * ''A Good Memory'' (Reader's Digest, 2002) * ''The Conscious and Unconscious Brain'' (Reader's Digest, 2002)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Nigel 1955 births Living people British writers Alumni of the University of East London Alumni of the Open University Alumni of the UCL Institute of Education People from Dunstable People from Newport Pagnell People educated at Dunstable Grammar School