Adam Sisman

Biographer Adam Sisman tells the story of Asa Briggs, one of the foremost historians of his time whose inner life was more turbulent than it appeared even to those who knew him well.

Sisman explains how Briggs rose from humble beginnings in the back streets of Keighly to become a name that guaranteed substantial sales if it was on the cover of a book. He wrote more than 50, including a five-volume history of broadcasting. He was vice-chancellor of Sussex University and chancellor of the Open University. Sisman says his success hid frustration and disappointment and, as the world changed, he found himself on the periphery.

Sisman has written biographies of A J P Taylor, Hugh Trevor-Roper and John le Carré. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and an honorary professor at the University of St Andrews.