Simon Tyler
Children's Author/Illustrator
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Biography
Based on the Sussex coast, Simon is an author and illustrator (and graphic designer and animator). Around the age of ten, Simon decided he wanted to spend the rest of his life writing and illustrating books, an endeavour he launched into with gusto (initially with an illustrated spotter’s guide to Dr Who monsters). Alas, thanks to a variety of factors (including ADHD, rock climbing and dance music) Simon veered off on an entirely different track before, thirty years later (in 2017), his first book – Bugs – was published by Pavilion Children’s Books. He followed that with two more books for Pavilion. Adventures in Space was published in 2018, and Adventures on Earth was published in 2019.
In 2020, Faber & Faber published Emergency Vehicles, a non-fiction picture book for a younger audience. The same year Simon provided the illustrations for David Long’s World’s Most Magnificent Machines, also for Faber & Faber.
More recently, Simon has been developing his first book for an adult audience. Gizmo: A Visual History of Technologywill be published by Laurence King in June 2023. He is also working on his first work of fiction for children.
In 2014, Simon launched an infographic poster project called Atomic Printworks. Atomic Printworks designs have been sold around the world, and have enjoyed press coverage in The Times, The Telegraph, Mail Online, The Guardian, The Independent, Elle Decoration, It’s Nice That, and others.
When he’s not writing or drawing things Simon spends his time climbing up rocks, exploring the Sussex countryside, and gleefully performing experimental barbecue cookery
The World's Most Magnificent Machines
A beautiful and thrilling round-up of 32 of the best Magnificent Machines from across history by Blue Peter award-winning David Long.
The longest ship ever built, the heaviest digger and the largest aeroplane, the world’s first working motorcar, and its most expensive one. What machines like these have in common is that they all say a lot about the inventiveness and imagination of the people who conceived and created them. Some of them are useful, others are just a bit of fun, but the best ones are truly magnificent, and fascinating to discover.
Designed to drive faster, fly higher, carry more cargo or – in the case of space rockets – travel hundreds of thousands of miles to places no-one has ever been before, not every idea has worked but the best have been inspired and inspirational, and in a few cases they have gone on to change the world.
It is the human stories and atmospheric art that make this a book to actually read and delight in.
