About: Arthur C. Clarke
(From Random House)

Born at Minehead, Somerset, in 1917, Arthur C. Clarke was educated at Huish's Grammar School, Taunton. Clarke entered the H.M. Exchequer & Audit Department in 1936; then served in the RAF. While running the prototype GCA (Ground Controlled Approach) radar, Clarke developed the basic theory of Communications Satellites, and published it in 1945.

After demobilization, Clarke took First Class Honors in Physics and Mathematics at King's College, London, which later elected him Fellow. From 1948 to 1950 he was Assistant Editor of Physics Abstracts at the Institution of Electrical Engineers; he was Chairman of the British Interplanetary Society 1946/7 and 1950/3.
Since 1954, Clarke's interest in underwater exploration has taken him to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia and the Indian Ocean, and he is now a director of the Colombo-based Underwater Safaris. He has published more than 70 books and has made many appearances on radio and TV, most notably with Walter Cronkite on CBS during the Apollo missions. His 13-part Mysterious World and Strange Powers TV programs have been seen worldwide.
Clarke is a Council Member of the Society of Authors, a vice-president of the H.G. Wells Society, and a member of many other scientific and literary organizations. Next page