Hugh Brewster is a Canadian writer who is known for his books for children as well as for his historical works, the most famous of which are the books about the Titanic.
Background
Hugh Brewster was born on May 26, 1950 in London, United Kingdom. He is a son of Ormond Macmillan Brewster, a doctor, and Anne Brewster, a nurse and housewife.
Brewster has two elder brothers and a younger sister.
Six years after Brewster’s birth, the family moved to Georgetown, Ontario, Canada.
In the early childhood, the young Hugh dreamed to become a missionary. He adored reading, and swallowed about four or five books a week in a local library. Brewster loved the most the historical fiction books by Geoffrey Trease and Rosemary Sutcliffe.
When Hugh Brewster was thirteen-year-old boy, the family moved again – this time to Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Education
Hugh Brewster attended Guelph high school.
Later, he entered the University of Guelph which he graduated from in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. His minor subject there was theatre.
Career
Hugh Brewster started his career in 1972 as an editor of the Canadian publishing company Scholastic Canada. He worked both in Toronto and New York, and took part in the formation of Scholastic’s Canadian children’s publishing program as well as in the selection of books for some Scholastic's school Book Clubs.
Then, in 1984, Brewster moved to Madison Press Books in the foundation of which he played an important role. He had occupied at the Press the post of an editorial director and publisher. Under Brewster’s guidance, the company took one of the leading places among the world’s important book producers.
So, while there, Brewster collaborated with Robert D. Ballard and helped him to create such bestsellers about Titanic, as The Discovery of the Titanic and Titanic: An Illustrated History. Besides, many books Hugh Brewster edited there, including Polar the Titanic Bear, On Board the Titanic, First to Fly, and Journey to Ellis Island, were marked by different awards.
The writer presided Book Publishers Professional Association from 1992 till 1994.
In 1993, Hugh Brewster became an instructor at Banff Publishing Workshop and held the position for two years.
Hugh Brewster debuted as an author with the children’s book, called Anastasia’s Album, which is based on the diary entries, letters, and photos of the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov. The book covers the life of Russia’s imperial family during their final years of rule to their execution in 1918. It was published in 1996 and received good critic reviews along with many awards.
The following years Brewster created his notable works on Titanic, including Inside the Titanic (1997), illustrated by Ken Marschall, and 882 1/2 Amazing Answers to Your Questions About the Titanic along with Laurie Coulter. The latter was a co-author of another Brewster’s success, To Be A Princess (2001). The 100th anniversary of the Titanic in 2012, was marked by the appearance of a large adult book Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage.
The last Hugh Brewster’s book, From Vimy to Victory: Canada’s Fight to the Finish in World War I, was published in 2014.
Now, the writer lives and works in Toronto. He also works as a guest lecturer for publishing programs at Centennial College and Ryerson University.
Views
"Being able to create books about history is a dream job for me since I’ve always been enthralled by the past."
Personality
Hugh Brewster's favourite quote is the one by Winston Churchill: "Do not argue the difficulties to me, the difficulties will argue for themselves."