Norman Pounds | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 February 1912 |
| Died | 24 March 2006(2006-03-24) (aged 94) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University of London |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Geography and history |
| Institutions | University of Cambridge Indiana University |
Norman John Greville Pounds (23 February 1912 – 24 March 2006) was an English geographer and historian. He wrote over 30 books, primarily on the history and geography of Europe from several different time periods.[1]
Pounds grew up inBath, England, where he was born on 23 February 1912. He went to three schools in the area. The first two wereChurch of England schools which began his opposition to organised religion. He attendedKing Edward's School on a scholarship between 1923 and 1931. He then studied atFitzwilliam House atUniversity of Cambridge where he received a diploma in education.[2]
He became a geography and history teacher atFalmouth Grammar School in Cornwall between 1935 and 1944.[2] When theSecond World War broke out in 1939, he was declared medically unfit for active service and instead worked as a firewatcher.[1] He also spent this time writing his PhD on the historical geography of Cornwall and received a first-class geography and history BA degree from theUniversity of London. Pounds began teaching geography atThe University of Cambridge in 1945 before moving ontoIndiana University in the 1950s where he was a geography professor until 1968. He continued to teach at various institutions for several decades, finally stopping in 2004 at the age of 92.[2]
Pounds' father, John Greville Pounds (1883–1935), was a compositor and his mother, Camilla Martha Minnie née Fisher (1884–1963) was a teacher. He married Dorothy Josephine Mitchell (1910–1989) in 1938.[2] He died on 24 March 2006 ofLeukaemia which he was diagnosed with at age 87.[1]
