Background
Smith was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England in 1960.
Smith was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England in 1960.
He then attended Birmingham University and studied Ancient History and Archaeology.
Dickinson rediscovered the town charters of Huntingdon in 1941. Smith’s Scottish great grandfather was Alexander James Smith, who was instrumental in establishing Chivas Regal as a global brand in the early twentieth century. His great great great grandfather was Professor Charles Spooner of the Royal Veterinary College.
Educated in Sheffield, Smith simultaneously ran his own private museum.
The book Yorkshire: A Portrait in Colour (1995) has remained in print for over fifteen years. Since 2003 Smith has worked as a travel writer, photographer, historian, and explorer.
He favours travelling off the beaten track in search of unusual places and people. His European findings are being published in an original series of books called the ‘Only In’ Guides.
Published volumes include Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, Zurich, Paris and London.
Smith has also written for magazines such as Hidden Europe. Smith’s travels also encompass parts of Africa (including Ethiopia), the Middle East (including Syria and Jordan), and Asia (Sri Lanka). Smith has created a website celebrating Penguin Books’ vintage cerise-coloured ‘Travel & Adventure’ series.
In 2007 Smith was accepted as a member of Travelwriters United Kingdom. In 2010 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and in 2011 he was elected a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers.