Born and raised in London, Diana Preston studied Modern History at Oxford University, where she first became involved in journalism. After earning her degree, she became a freelance writer of feature and travel articles for national UK newspapers and magazines and has subsequently reviewed books for several publications, including The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times. She has also been a broadcaster for the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and has been featured in various television documentaries.
Eight years ago, her decision to write “popular” history led her to The Road to Culloden Moor: Bonnie Prince Charlie and the ’45 Rebellion (Constable UK, 1995). It was followed by A First-Rate Tragedy: Robert Falcon Scott and the Race to the South Pole (Houghton Mifflin, 1998), The Boxer Rebellion (Walker & Company, 2000), Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy (Walker & Company, 2002) and now, Before The Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima.
Books in order of publication:
The Road to Culloden Moor: Bonnie Prince Charlie and the ’45 Rebellion (Constable UK, 1995)
A First-Rate Tragedy: Robert Falcon Scott and the Race to the South Pole (Houghton Mifflin, 1998)
The Boxer Rebellion (Walker & Company, 2000)
Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy (Walker & Company, 2002)
A Pirate of Exquisite Mind: Explorer, Naturalist, and Buccaneer: The Life of William Dampier – 2004
Before The Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima (2005)
Taj Mahal: A Love Affair at the Heart of the Moghul Empire – 2006
Cleopatra and Antony: Power, Love, and Politics in the Ancient World – 2008
A Higher Form of Killing: Six Weeks in World War I That Forever Changed the Nature of Warfare – 2015
Eight Days at Yalta: How Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin Shaped the Post-War World – 2020
The Evolution of Charles Darwin: The Epic Voyage of the Beagle That Forever Changed Our View of Life on Earth – 2023
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