Dean King

{{short description|American naval historian (born 1962)}} {{Infobox writer  | name = Dean King | image = Dean King - Author of The Feud and Skeletons On The Zahara.jpg | imagesize = | alt = | caption = Dean at [[Christopher Newport University]] | pseudonym = | birth_name = Dean H. King | birth_date = {{birth_year_and_age|1962}} | birth_place = [[Richmond, Virginia]] | occupation = Author, historian | language = [[English language|English]] | education =[[University of North Carolina]], B.A.<br>[[New York University]], M.A. | alma_mater = | period = 1993–present | genre = Biography, history, non-fiction adventure, maritime | subject = | movement = | notableworks = | spouse = Jessica King | partner = | children = | awards = | website = {{URL|deanhking.com}} }}

'''Dean King''' (born 1962) is an American author of narrative non-fiction on adventure, historical and maritime subjects. His books include ''[[Skeletons on the Zahara]]'' (2004) and ''[[Unbound (book)|Unbound]]'' (2010), both published by [[Little, Brown]]. He is the author of companion books to [[Patrick O'Brian|Patrick O'Brian's]] ''[[Aubrey-Maturin series]]'' of novels and is the first biographer of O'Brian. In his biography, ''Patrick O'Brian: A Life'' (2000), which was excerpted in four full pages in ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' in [[London]], King revealed that O'Brian was not really of Irish origin, as O'Brian claimed, and that he had changed his name by deed poll in London in 1945. King has also published articles in ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[National Geographic Adventure]]'', ''[[New York Magazine]]'', ''[[Outside (magazine)|Outside]]'' and other magazines and newspapers.<ref name="hn">{{cite news |url=http://www.hnn.us/articles/127006.html |title=Dean King: The Saga of the Women of the Long March |last=Leonard |first=Aaron |date=2010-06-14 |publisher=History News Network |accessdate=2010-07-03 |archive-date=2013-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420234101/http://www.hnn.us/articles/127006.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Early life and education== King was born and raised in [[Richmond, Virginia]], where he attended [[St. Christopher's School, Richmond|St. Christopher's School]]. He then attended the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|University of North Carolina]], where he played on UNC's 1982 National Champion Lacrosse team and edited the undergraduate literary magazine while earning his bachelor's degree in English. He was also a member of the North Carolina Xi chapter of [[Sigma Alpha Epsilon]]. After graduating, he and a friend spent a week and a half walking across the entirety of England.<ref name="hn"/> He earned his master's degree in English at [[New York University]], studying under [[Gloria Naylor]], [[John A. Williams]], and [[E. L. Doctorow]].<ref name="home">{{cite news |url = http://deanhking.com/about-me/ |title = About Dean |year = 2010 |publisher = www.deanhking.com |accessdate = 2010-07-03 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110226213222/http://deanhking.com/about-me |archivedate = 2011-02-26 }}</ref>

==Writing career== ===Magazines=== After further travel in England and France, King worked for a decade in [[New York City]]. While there he became an original contributing editor to ''[[Men's Journal]]'' and wrote for other publications, including ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'', ''[[Art & Antiques]]'', ''[[Travel + Leisure Magazine]]'', ''[[Connoisseur]]'', and ''The New York Times''.<ref name="hn"/><ref name="home"/><ref name="rbc">{{cite news |url=http://www.rbc.edu/library/Events/guest-king_2008.html |title=Guest Author: Dean King |date=April 2008 |publisher=[[The College of William and Mary]] |accessdate=2010-07-03 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527171307/http://www.rbc.edu/library/Events/guest-king_2008.html |archivedate=2010-05-27 }}</ref> He is a past director of book publishing at ''[[National Review]]''.<ref name="home"/>

In the early 1990s he also founded the out-of-print ''Bubba Magazine'', a publication that poked fun at [[Bill Clinton]].<ref name="bubba">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/04/us/a-magazine-will-tell-all-about-bubba.html?pagewanted=2 |title=A Magazine Will Tell All About Bubba |last= |first= |date=February 4, 1993 |work=The New York Times |accessdate=2010-07-03}}</ref> The publication garnered national press after its February 9, 1993, debut, with media outlets such as ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]'' booking interviews.<ref name="hn"/><ref name="home"/>

===Non-fiction books=== King has published ten books, most with a focus on historical and adventure narratives.<ref name="home"/> Many of King's works focus on sea adventure and maritime history,<ref name="rbc"/> and he is past series editor for the ''Heart of Oak Sea Classics''.<ref name="hn"/>

In 1995 King co-authored ''A Sea of Words'' with naval historian [[John B. Hattendorf]] and J. Worth Estes, and two years later he again worked with Hattendorf to edit and publish ''Every Man Will Do His Duty.''<ref name="rbc"/> Both are companion books to [[Patrick O'Brian|Patrick O'Brian's]] ''[[Aubrey-Maturin series]]'' of novels.<ref name="home"/> In 2000 he also wrote a historically significant but [[unauthorized biography]] of famed author Patrick O'Brian, which was published just three months after O'Brian's death. This book, ''Patrick O'Brian: A Life Revealed'', was named a book of the year by ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', and King appeared in a [[BBC]] documentary about O'Brian, as well as on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] [[World News with Diane Sawyer|World News Tonight]] and [[NPR]]'s [[Talk of the Nation]].<ref name="home"/>

For his 2004 non-fiction book, ''[[Skeletons on the Zahara]]'', he traveled more than 100 miles across the western [[Sahara Desert]] on foot and by camel in order to experience a similar journey to Captain [[James Riley (captain)|James Riley]].<ref name="saharan">{{cite news |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0402/q_n_a.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129122402/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0402/q_n_a.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 29, 2013 |title=Q&A: Saharan Survival |last=Kirby |first=Mark |date=February 2004 |publisher=[[National Geographic Adventure Magazine]] |accessdate=2010-07-03}}</ref> During research for ''[[Unbound: A True Story of War, Love, and Survival]]'' he spent July 2009 in China's [[Sichuan province]], trekking eight days through treacherous highland bogs and hiking up the Dagushan Mountain on the [[Tibet]]an border. As with Africa, his goal was to retrace his historical protagonists' dangerous journey, in this case the 30 women who walked 4,000 miles in the Communists' [[Long March]] with [[Mao Zedong]] in 1934.<ref name="outside">{{cite magazine |url=http://outsideonline.com/outside/destinations/201004/great-snowy-mountains-china-1.html |title=In the Land of the Human-Sucking Bogs |last=King |first=Dean |date=April 2010 |magazine=[[Outside (magazine)|Outside]] |accessdate=2010-07-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818010533/http://outsideonline.com/outside/destinations/201004/great-snowy-mountains-china-1.html |archive-date=2010-08-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref> <ref name="now">{{cite news |url=http://www.canow.org/canoworg/2010/05/author-dean-king-talks-with-us-about-the-women-on-maos-long-march.html |title=Author Dean King Talks With Us About the Women on Mao's Long March |last=Perez |first=Elena |date=May 26, 2010 |publisher=California National Organization for Women |accessdate=2010-07-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100801082620/http://www.canow.org/canoworg/2010/05/author-dean-king-talks-with-us-about-the-women-on-maos-long-march.html |archive-date=August 1, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Community work== In the early 2000s, Dean was part of a group of Richmond writer friends, including founder and best-selling novelist David L. Robbins, to create the [[nonprofit]] James River Writers, which promotes and encourages local authors.<ref name="hn"/><ref name="richmond">{{cite news |url=http://www.richmondmagazine.com/?articleID=8b37ad67b4a3330b40cb2c4e1f1188a3 |title=Dean of Letters |last=Foster |first=Richard |date=May 2010 |publisher=Richmond Magazine |accessdate=2010-07-03}}</ref> He is past co-chair and advisory board member.<ref name="home"/> King also helped establish the James River Writers Conference, which is held annually at the Richmond [[Library of Virginia]].<ref name="rbc"/> King is also frequently asked to give talks to schools and community groups. He serves on the boards of the Library of Virginia Foundation and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA). He is a founder and co-chair of the Virginia Literary Festival (VLF), a week-long, multi-organizational celebration of reading and authors in Richmond.<ref name="rbc"/>

==Personal life== King is a cancer survivor and avid hiker.<ref name="rbc"/> He currently lives in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia with his wife Jessica and their four daughters: Hazel, Grace, Willa, and Nora.<ref name="hn"/>

==Published works== ===As contributing editor=== * ''The Penny Pincher's Almanac Handbook for Modern Frugality'' (1992) - edited by King and the editors of ''The Penny Pincher's Almanac'' * ''Every Man Will Do His Duty: An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts From the Age of Nelson'' (1997) - edited by King with naval historian [[John B. Hattendorf]] * ''Cancer Combat: Cancer Survivors Share Their Guerrilla Tactics to Help you Win the Fight of Your Life'' (1998) - edited by Dean King, Jessica King & Jonathan Pearlroth

===As author=== * ''A Sea of Words: a Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O'Brian's Seafaring Tales'' (1995) - co-authored by John B. Hattendorf and J. Worth Estes * ''Paper Clips to Printers: the Cost-cutting Sourcebook for Your Home Office'' (1996) - co-authored with Jessica King * ''Patrick O'Brian: a Life Revealed'' (2000) * ''Harbors and High Seas: an Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Complete Aubrey-Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian'' (2000) - co-authored with John B. Hattendorf * ''[[Skeletons on the Zahara|Skeletons on the Zahara: a True Story of Survival]]'' (2004) * ''[[Unbound (book)|Unbound: a True Story of War, Love, and Survival]]'' (2010) * ''The Feud: The Hatfields and McCoys: The True Story'' (2013) * ''Guardians of the Valley: John Muir and the Friendship that Saved Yosemite'' (2023)

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading== *[https://noveljourney.blogspot.com/2010/07/author-dean-king-interviewed.html Dean King Interview - July 9, 2010]

==External links== *{{Official website|http://www.deanhking.com/}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Dean}} [[Category:1962 births]] [[Category:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni]] [[Category:American military writers]] [[Category:American male non-fiction writers]] [[Category:New York University alumni]] [[Category:Historians of the United States]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American maritime historians]] [[Category:American naval historians]] [[Category:Writers from Richmond, Virginia]] [[Category:St. Christopher's School (Richmond, Virginia) alumni]] [[Category:Historians from Virginia]]