Terry Breverton FRHistS FRSA FIC FCIM is a former businessman and academic who has specialised in non-fiction subjects, many related to Wales and its history. In 2000 he founded Glyndŵr Publishing [www.walesbooks.com] to publish books upon Welsh history, heritage and culture.
Terry Breverton | |
|---|---|
 Terry Breverton with two of his published books, | |
| Born | 1946 |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Occupation | Author |
| Known for | Books on Wales |
https://impressionsinink.blogspot.com/2013/01/an-interview-with-terry-breverton.html
Early Life
editTerry Breverton was born in Birmingham to Welsh parents displaced by war, and was brought up in Barry, Glamorgan from the age of 4. After Barry Boys County/Grammar School
https://canfod.glamarchives.gov.uk/en/records/D513/1
, he studied economics and social studies at Manchester University,
For a master’s degree in marketing at Lancaster University Management School
https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/
and for a PGCE in Business Studies at Wolverhampton, a constituent college of Birmingham University.
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/education
Both at school and universities, he worked constantly during holidays and weekends, his jobs including: Dustman, Barry Council [twice]; Waiter, Bindles Ballroom, Barry; Labourer, Aberthaw B coal power station construction; X-ray technician and driver Dungeness B nuclear power station construction; Postman in Barry every Christmas for 5 years; Barry Island ice-cream and candy floss seller; Labourer Davey-Ashmore-Benson-Pease Engineering, Barry; Labourer, MOD Donington, Shropshire (cleaning blood from Saracen armoured cars); and Economics VI Form teacher, Casterton Girls’ School, Kirkby Lonsdale. He felt that these work experiences helped develop a much broader understanding of society, and he still treasures them. He always believed that his hard work ethic, inquisitiveness and constant wish to learn, explained his inability to stay in the same job for long and his prolific writing career. However, not until his 60th birthday did a doctor inform him that his life-long rebelliousness, restlessness and sleeplessness were caused by life-long ADHD. Fortunately for his writing career, he has no wish to alter this condition. His writing was halted for some time after a bad Covid attack in 2020, since when his long-covid condition has been alleviated somewhat, by being probably the oldest member of Cogan gym.
Career
editAfter his BA (Econ) he spent some years as a technical representative with Europe’s leading electronics distributor RS Components https://www.rs-online.com/
, gaining a sales force prize. He took a year out for an MBA-equivalent degree, then worked for many years in international business and consultancy, working in 14 countries across Europe. For Procon (USA, since taken over), he was an International Projects Manager on the largest construction site in the world, capping flares on the Ahvaz ‘super-giant’ oilfield, Khuzestan and building gas lines to LPG plants on the coast. The ‘largest building project in the world’ seems to have been abandoned since the Iranian Revolution in 1978-79, when he was unable to leave Iran.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahvaz_Field
Breverton twice as a Senior Management Consultant, Production Engineering Research Association (PERA)
https://www.perainternational.com/about-us/
with a secondment to Riyadh and Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia on projects for GCE (USA) and Silvani (Italy). Many of his assignments were for FT ‘Top 100’ Companies. For 6 years Breverton was Principal Marketing Consultant for ISCOM (Industrial Services Consultancy for Manufacturing), before a spell as Marketing Manager, Wales Gas, then moved to become Marketing Director, En-Tout-Cas plc, when it had a sports equipment division.
https://tenniscourtsuk.co.uk/about-en-tout-cas/
He travelled extensively overseas as International Marketing Manager, Willett International, and was a member of the World Executive Board, where he was in charge of corporate strategic plan across 120 countries, with manufacturing plants in Brazil, China, USA, UK and Russia. (Industrial laser and inkjet coding machines, since taken over by its main global competitor Videojet.)
https://www.videojet.co.uk/uk/homepage/products/laser-marking-systems.html
With a young family, he moved BACK TO Wales for stability in 1993 to become a Senior Lecturer at UWIC Business School (now Cardiff Metropolitan University)
https://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/Pages/default.aspx
teaching International and Strategic Marketing, and International Business Management to final year and MBA students. He was a Visiting Professor at UMIST, IPSOA (Milan) & IFOA (Bologna). A Member of the Institute of Learning and Teaching, and of the Academy of Marketing, he also still worked for ISCOM as a Certified Management Consultant (CMC, 1990). In 2007 he resigned early from lecturing in UWIC to become a full-time writer and part-time publisher, founding . MAKE A LINK HERE https://americymru.net/americymru/blog/4483/an-interview-with-welsh-author-terry-breverton
In his ‘An A to Z of Wales and the Welsh’ and ‘The Book of Welsh Saints’, Breverton mentioned his visit to St. Elvis Farm, 6th century monastery remains, holy well and chambered tomb in Pembrokeshire, the nearby St. Elvis islets, the nearby Preseli Hills and also the legend of St. Elvis (Aelfyw) baptising St. David in nearby Solva or Porthclais. The ‘news’ made every national newspaper.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/jun/02/johnezard
https://www.gwales.com/ecat/?sr_last=1&tsid=12
It also led to Breverton appearing at St. Elvis chambered tomb on national morning breakfast television, with a Welsh choir singing ‘I Can’t Help Faling in Love with You (Ewe)’ and an Elvis impersonator (link unavailable).
Publisher and Author
editBreverton has said that the skills he developed in research and writing as a management consultant transferred into writing history and other non-fiction books. In 1999 he founded Glyndŵr Publishing (walesbooks.com) for books by himself and other Welsh non-fiction authors. Since 2007 he has been a full-time writer and editor, mainly writing for Quercus
https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/contributor/terry-breverton/
and Amberley
https://www.amberley-books.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=amberley+breverton
since that time.
The late Professor Meic Stephens wrote ‘Terry Breverton belongs to that rare breed of Welshmen who stake their livelihood on trying to publish books in which they passionately believe’ (Western Mail Magazine 7 April 2001). He is trying to revive interest in Welsh culture and history, which has been the main focus of many of his books. The development of Welsh saints' feast days and pilgrims' trails is an ongoing interest. His books have been translated into Chinese (Simplified and Complex), Japanese, Turkish, Polish, Dutch, German, Russian etc. They include the first biographies of Jasper Tudor and Owain Tudor (Henry VII's uncle and his grandfather). Of Jasper Tudor - Dynasty Maker, 'the first biography of the real "kingmaker" of British History', the celebrated Margaret Attwood wrote: 'Breverton for the first time makes sense of the Wars of the Roses for me' – information from publisher). https://americymru.net/americymru/blog/4486/wales-and-the-tudors-an-interview-with-terry-breverton
His An A to Z of Wales and the Welsh featured in nearly every national newspaper, and was reviewed as ‘the first Welsh encyclopaedia.’ He translated from mediaeval Welsh of The Physicians of Myddfai - Cures and Remedies of the Medieval World. Of his The Book of Welsh Saints, Rowan Williams when Archbishop of Canterbury wrote to Breverton: '... this book is a really extraordinary achievement: a compilation of tradition, topography and literary detective work that can have few rivals. I have enjoyed browsing it immensely and have picked up all sorts of new lines to follow up' (- letter to the author). Professor Meic Stephens wrote of Breverton's 100 Great Welshmen and 100 Great Welsh Women in the Western Mail Magazine on 16 March 2002, ‘Both are really extraordinary achievements by a single author whose industry and enterprise seem to show no bounds.’
Personal Life
editBreverton played rugby whenever possible until he was 36, then completed the London Marathon, which with other charity runs in the unpadded trainers of those days, wrecked his knees. Married with two children, since returning to Wales he has lived in St. Athan, Cowbridge, Maeycrugiau (Llanllwni) and now Penarth. Apart from researching and writing, his main preoccupation has been writing letters to the Welsh press, trying since the late 1990’s to stem the spread of huge wind power stations and solar ‘parks’ across Wales.
His only social appointment has been to the committee of Llanybydder Rugby Club. He has supported Cardiff City FC, Cardiff RFC and the Welsh football and rugby teams as long as he can remember. However, he is always writing, usually researching 3 or 4 books at once. https://onthetudortrail.com/Blog/2014/08/21/20-questions-with-terry-breverton-giveaway/
Published Works:
editDescriptions of all Breverton's books, and full reviews are on his website https://www.walesbooks.com/
Short reviews of all books can be found here.
| Publisher | Notes, Reviews, References | ||
| 1992 | Trucks At Work pb (Here Comes Fire Truck; Here Comes Dump Truck; Here Comes Bulldozer; Here Comes Tow Truck) | Grosset & Dunlap, New York | Written as David Breverton - 4 childrens’ pop-up books |
| 2000 | An A-Z of Wales and The Welsh 300pp | Christopher Davies | ‘The first Welsh encyclopaedia’ |
| 2000 | The Book of Welsh Saints hb 606pp | Glyndŵr Publishing | Written as T.D. Breverton 1 2 |
| 2000 | The Secret Vale of Glamorgan - The Story of St Tathan, Gileston, Aberthaw, Eglwys Brewis and Flemingston 230pp | Glyndŵr Publishing | Fellowship of the Millennium Award 1 2 3 |
| 2001 | 100 Great Welshmen 376pp New editions 2005, 2017 | Glyndŵr Publishing | Books Council of Wales Book of the Month 1 2 |
| 2001 | 100 Great Welsh Women 304pp New edn. 2017 | Glyndŵr Publishing | 1 2 3 |
| 2002 | The Path to Inexperience 158pp
Link includes first draft of Aberfan poem |
Glyndŵr Publishing | poetry 1 |
| 2002 | The Welsh Almanac hb 320pp | Glyndŵr Publishing | Books Council of Wales Book of the Month 1 |
| 2003 | The Book of Welsh Pirates and Buccaneers 388pp | Glyndŵr Publishing | Books Council of Wales Book of the Month 1 |
| 2003 | Glamorgan Seascape Pathways – 52 Walks in the Vale of Glamorgan 144pp | Glyndŵr Publishing | Fellowship of the Millennium Award 1 2 |
| 2004 | Black Bart Roberts - The Greatest Pirate of Them All 244pp | Glyndŵr Publishing
Pelican (now Arcadia) USA |
1 2 |
| 2004 | The Pirate Handbook - A Dictionary of Pirate Terms and Places 290pp | Glyndŵr Publishing
Pelican (now Arcadia) USA as The Pirate Dictionary |
Books Council of Wales Book of the Month 1 |
| 2004 | A Song for Owain: Poems in Praise of Owain Glyndŵr ed. Rhys Parry | Y Lolfa | Introduction and 3 major poems, read by Breverton at Glyndŵr Memorial celebrations at Cardiff Castle, Machynlleth and Corwen 1 |
| 2005 | Admiral Sir Henry Morgan - The Greatest Buccaneer of Them All 174pp | Glyndŵr Publishing,
Pelican (now Arcadia) USA as Admiral Sir Henry Morgan – King of the Buccaneers |
Books Council of Wales Book of the Month 1 2 3 |
| 2005 | 100 Great Welshmen 432pp | Glyndŵr Publishing | (Revised 2001 Edition) 1 |
| 2007 | Welsh Sailors of the Second World War 448pp | Glyndŵr Publishing | With Phil Carradice, WH Smith Book of the Month in Wales 1 |
| 2007 | The First American Novel: The Journal of Penrose, Seaman by William Williams, & The Book, The Author and the Letters in The Lilly Library 446pp | Glyndŵr Publishing | Everett Helm Visiting Scholarship, Indiana University 1 |
| 2008 | The Illustrated Pirate Diaries: A Remarkable Eyewitness Account of Captain Morgan and The Buccaneers large format hb 192pp | Apple/Quarto, Collins USA | Translated from Exquemelin’s differing English, French, Dutch, Flemish and Spanish 17th-century accounts |
| 2008 | Immortal Words: History's Most Memorable Quotations and The Stories Behind Them 384pp | Quercus History/Borders USA | Published in Poland, Japan, Russia etc. 1 |
| 2009 | Owain Glyndŵr - The Story of the Last Prince of Wales hb 288pp | Amberley | pb 2013 224pp 1 2 3 |
| 2009 | Wales - A Historical Companion 360pp | Amberley | 1 2 3 |
| 2010 | Wales' 1000 Best Heritage Sites 288pp | Amberley | 1 |
| 2010 | Breverton's Nautical Curiosities - A Book of the Sea hb 384pp | Quercus/Hachette, Rowman & Littlefield USA | 1 |
| 2010 | Immortal Last Words - History's Most Memorable Dying Remarks, Deathbed Declarations and Final Farewells hb 384pp | Quercus, Borders, Barnes and Noble USA | Published in Netherlands, China, Japan, Turkey, Poland, Russia etc. 1 2 3 4 5 6 |
| 2011 | Breverton's Phantasmagoria - A Compendium of Monsters, Myths and Legends hb 384pp | Quercus/Hachette, Rowman & Littlefield USA | Published in China, Taiwan, Japan etc. 1 2 3 4 |
| 2012 | Breverton's Complete Herbal - A Book of Remarkable Plants and Their Uses - Based on Nicolas Culpeper's The English Physitian of 1652 and Compleat Herball of 1653 hb 384pp | Quercus/Hachette, Globe Pequot, Lyons Press Connecticut | 1 2 |
| 2012 | Breverton's Encyclopedia of Inventions: A Compendium of Technological Leaps, Groundbreaking Discoveries and Scientific Breakthroughs That Changed The World hb 384pp | Quercus/Hachette, Rowman & Littlefield, Barnes and Noble (USA) | Published in Japanese, Simple and Complex Chinese etc. Reprinted Lyons Press, Connecticut 2019 400pp 1 |
| 2012 | I Have a Dream - Inspiring Words And Thoughts From The World's Greatest Leaders hb 384pp | Quercus/Hachette | Pub. In China etc. |
| 2012 | The Welsh - The Biography 384pp | Amberley | 1 2 |
| 2013 | The Physicians of Myddfai - Cures and Remedies of the Medieval World 290pp | Cambria Books | Translated, unexpurgated from a Middle Welsh transcription of the 13th century ms. Meddygon Myddfai 1 2 3 4 |
| 2013 | Richard III - The King in The Car Park: The Real Story of The Hunchbacked King hb 208pp | Amberley | pb 320pp 2013 - Not the chosen title, virulently attacked by Ricardians, to zero great surprise 1 |
| 2014 | The Journal of Penrose, Seaman - The New Robinson Crusoe 540pp | Cambria Books | Updated edition of The First American Novel, 2007 1 2 |
| 2014 | Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the Tudors but were Afraid to Ask hb 320pp | Amberley | pb 336pp 2016 1 |
| 2014 | Breverton's First World War Curiosities pb 320pp | Amberley | 1 |
| 2015 | The Tudor Kitchen: What the Tudors Ate and Drank hb 368pp | Amberley, Barnes and Noble | pb 368pp 2017 1 2 3 4 5 |
| 2015 | Jasper Tudor: Dynasty Maker hb 336pp | Amberley | The First Biography of Henry Tudor’s uncle and guardian, who fought in the first and last battles of the Wars of the Roses pb 2015 336pp 1 2 3 |
| 2016 | The Tudor Cookbook: From Gilded Peacock to Calves' Feet Pie hb 256pp | Amberley | pb 256pp 2019 1 2 3 4 |
| 2016 | Henry VII - The Maligned Tudor King hb 338pp | Amberley | pb 464pp 2018 (Not my chosen title) |
| 2017 | Owen Tudor - Founding Father of the Tudor Dynasty hb 336pp | Amberley | The First Biography of the husband of Henry IV’s widow, the grandfather of Henry VII pb 336pp 2019 |
| 2017 | 100 Greatest Welsh Women 418pp | Glyndŵr Publishing | Revised edition of 2001 book |
| 2017 | 100 Greatest Welshmen 492pp | Glyndŵr Publishing | Revised edition of 2001 and 2005 books |
| 2018 | A Gross of Pirates: From Alfhild the Shield Maiden to Afweyne the Big Mouth hb | Amberley | |
| 2018 | Welsh Pirates and Privateers 144pp | Gwasg Carreg Gwalch | |
| 2018 | The True Confessions of William Owen, Smuggler, Privateer and Murderer 192pp | Gwasg Carreg Gwalch | Using the original trial manuscript and death cell confession |
| 2022 | The Greatest Sporting Family In History - The Blue And Black Brothers 648pp | Glyndŵr Publishing | 8 Williams brothers played for Cardiff when it was renowned as ‘the greatest’ rugby club in the world |
| 2025 | The Cardiff Rugby Brothers – the Eight Taff’s Well Brothers who played for ‘The Greatest’ team | Glyndŵr Publishing | Revised update of 2022 edition |
| 2026 | Arthur – British Warlord (provisional title) | Quercus |
Notes
editSources
edit- Annette Kristynik (21 January 2013), "An Interview with Terry Breverton Author of The Welsh, The Biography", Impressions In Ink, retrieved 2016-02-02
- Ceri Shaw (6 June 2013), "An Interview With Welsh Author, Terry Breverton", Welsh American Bookstore, retrieved 2016-02-02
- Natalie Grueninger (21 August 2014), 20 Questions with Terry Breverton, retrieved 2016-02-01
- Stephens, Meic (16 March 2002), "review: '100 Great Welshmen' and '100 Great Welsh Women'", Western Mail Magazine, retrieved 2016-02-01