Gerald Legg

Background

Gerald Legg was born on January 30, 1947, in Woodford Green, Essex, England, United Kingdom. He is the son of John Horace, a furniture shop owner, and Lilian Irene Legg.

Education

In 1968 Gerald Legg received a diploma in biochemistry technology from South West Essex Technical College (now Waltham Forest College). In 1971 he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Manchester.

Career

From 1971 to 1974 Gerald Legg was a lecturer in zoology and researcher at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. In 1974 he was hired by the Booth Museum of Natural History as a keeper of natural sciences. He is a council member of the British Arachnological Society and a member of the Institute of biology. As part of his job, he presents the animal world in a way that captures the interest of young visitors. As an outgrowth of the displays and exhibition materials he has devised, as well as because of his personal interest, Legg has authored a number of titles focusing on animal biology.

Among the books, he has produced for both nonfiction series and stand-alone works of nonfiction are The X-Ray Book of Amazing Animals, Sharks, and the four-volume Lifecycles series that includes the titles From Caterpillar to Butterfly, From Egg to Chicken, From Seed to Sunflower, and From Tadpole to Frog.

In the four-volume Lifecycles series, Legg presents young readers with a detailed overview of natural processes. From Seed to Sunflower explains how a sunflower seed develops into a plant through germination, rooting, shooting, budding, and growth, and Legg’s text is enhanced with brightly colored illustrations, a glossary, and a timeline. In From Tadpole to Frog, he also describes predators that can sometimes disrupt the growth cycle.

Achievements

• Gerald Legg is best known as the author of The World of Animal Life, The World of Plant Life, and The World of Insect Life. He published more than twenty books and received high praise from critics.

Works

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  • Amazing Animal Facts: Amazing Facts at Your Fingertips

    (Fantastic sea creatures, deadly predators, weird insects,...)

    1997
  • Dragons

    ("Dragons" takes a comprehensive look at the mythology of ...)

    1998
  • Amazing Tropical Birds

    (Text and photographs introduce amazing tropical birds, in...)

    1991
  • Bugs

    (Zoom into this amazing microscopic world and discover eve...)

    1998
  • The World of Plant Life

    (In The World of Plant Life, young readers will learn abou...)

    2000
  • Minibeasts

    (Examines the characteristics and habits of creatures such...)

    1994
  • The X Ray Picture Book of Incredible Creatures

    (Shows and describes cross-sections of dinosaurs, microsco...)

    1995
  • From Caterpillar to Butterfly

    (This series traces the growth process of a particular pla...)

    1997
  • From Egg to Chicken

    (This series traces the growth process of a particular pla...)

    1997
  • From Seed to Sunflower

    (This series traces the growth process of a particular pla...)

    1997
  • Amazing Animals

    (Shows the internal structure of animals from flies to wha...)

    1994
  • Bears

    (Describes the physical characteristics, behavior, and hab...)

    2002
  • Sharks

    (Describes the lives, different kinds, and exploitation of...)

    1997
  • Creepy Critters

    (This book is packed with fascinating facts about small cr...)

    1997
  • Monster Animals 1994
  • Find out about Minibeasts 2003
  • Alligators and Crocodiles 2002
  • From Tadpole to Frog 1997
  • Life In The Desert 2005
  • How It Works: Animals 2020

Membership

Gerald Legg is a member of the British Museums Association, the British Ecological Society, Biological Curators Group, the Society of Authors, the Linnean Society of London, and the Zoological Society of London. He is a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society of London.

Interests

• photography, scuba diving, microscopy, beekeeping, muzzle-loading rifle shooting, engineering

Connections

Gerald Legg is married. His wife’s name is Patricia. They have three children: John Modupe, Michelle Joanne, and Catherine Elizabeth Mary.

Father:

John Horace Legg

Mother:

Lilian Irene Legg

Spouse:

Patricia Legg

Son:

John Modupe Legg

Daughter:

Michelle Joanne Legg

Daughter:

Catherine Elizabeth Mary Legg

References

• Contemporary Authors
  2011