Royal Fireworks Press is proud to have been chosen as the American publisher of Asa Briggs: A Biography, written by one of England’s foremost biographers, Adam Sisman.

Originally published by HarperCollins in the UK, the biography of Asa Briggs is particularly important to us at Royal Fireworks because we are, in many ways, part of his legacy. Nearly fifty years ago, Dr. Thomas Milton Kemnitz founded Royal Fireworks Press to bring creativity, intellectual excellence, and interdisciplinary learning to American students. This approach was modeled on the groundbreaking vision of the University of Sussex in the 1960s, which Asa Briggs designed and led. When our online school was established more than a decade ago, it was inspired by Briggs’ “New Map of Learning,” a model that emphasized innovative, cross-disciplinary education. His influence continues to shape our mission to this day.

A peek into Asa Briggs’ legacy:

Asa Briggs was one of the most important British historians and academics of the late twentieth century. He made a name for himself at the age of twenty, when, in 1940, he simultaneously earned degrees with the highest honors from both Cambridge and the London School of Economics, a feat never accomplished before or since.

Briggs quickly established his reputation with groundbreaking books on Victorian Britain and went on to design the University of Sussex with a bold interdisciplinary vision, creating one of Britain’s most dynamic institutions. He held leadership roles in major organizations, including the Royal Commission on Nursing, while becoming a sought-after public voice through his books, BBC talks, and reviews. Appointed the official historian of the BBC, he produced a monumental five-volume history of the institution. In 1976 he became Baron Briggs of Lewes and Provost of Worcester College, Oxford. Over his career, he wrote or edited more than fifty works as both a pioneering historian and an influential communicator.

Click here to order the fascinating biography and discover the man behind some of Royal Fireworks’ most cherished guiding principles.

Happy reading,
The Royal Fireworks Team