Melanie King

Melanie King is a writer of historical non-fiction who has published seven books. She specialises in using archival sources to shine a light on the obscure and often bizarre episodes that run through history, from the madcap techniques used by spies in WWI, to the “fake news” about the effects of coffee propagated by seventeenth-century tea merchants. Her eclectic subjects reflect her varied and shifting careers. After graduating with a degree in International Relations from the University of Sussex she travelled alone through India, Nepal, South-east Asia, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. She worked in Bangkok as a staff writer for The Nation; with Eurocrats in Brussels; at Chatham House in London; and with refugees and victims of torture, both at home and abroad. She is presently at work on a book about the history and culture of English spas.