Hunter Davies facts for kids

Edward Hunter Davies OBE (born 7 January 1936) is a British writer, journalist, and broadcaster. He is famous for writing the only official biography of the Beatles. He has also written many books about football and the Lake District.

Early Life and Education

Edward Hunter Davies was born in Johnstone, Scotland, on January 7, 1936. His family lived in Dumfries for four years when he was young. During this time, his favorite football player was Billy Houliston from the local team, Queen of the South.

When he was 11, his family moved to Carlisle in northern England. He went to Creighton School there. His father, who used to work for the Royal Air Force, had to retire because of an illness.

Davies later joined Carlisle Grammar School. He then went to University College at Durham University. He first studied History but later switched to a general arts course. While at university, he started writing for the student newspaper, Palatinate.

Writing Career

After university, Davies became a journalist. In 1965, he wrote a novel called Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush. This book was later made into a film in 1967.

Writing About The Beatles

Hunter Davies met Paul McCartney to talk about writing a song for his film. During their meeting, Davies suggested writing a book about the Beatles. McCartney liked the idea because many untrue stories had been published about the band. He told Davies to get permission from Brian Epstein, the Beatles' manager. Epstein agreed, and the official biography, The Beatles, was published in 1968.

Other Books and Articles

In 1972, Davies wrote a book about football called The Glory Game. It gave a look behind the scenes of the Tottenham Hotspur football club. He also wrote a column for Punch magazine called "Father's Day." This column was about his everyday life as a busy father.

In 1974, The Sunday Times newspaper asked him to write about a comprehensive school. He spent a year studying a school in Muswell Hill, London. This led to his book, The Creighton Report, published in 1976.

Davies has also written a biography of the famous fell walker Alfred Wainwright. He has written many books about the beautiful Lake District area, including its places and history.

Children's Books

For younger readers, Hunter Davies has written several book series. These include the Ossie, Flossie Teacake, and Snotty Bumstead series.

Working as a Ghostwriter

Davies has also helped famous people write their autobiographies. He has worked with footballers like Wayne Rooney, Paul Gascoigne, and Dwight Yorke. He also helped politician John Prescott write his autobiography, Prezza, My Story: Pulling no Punches.

He writes a football column for the New Statesman magazine. A collection of these articles was published as a book called The Fan in 2005. Davies also writes a column called "Confessions of a Collector" for The Guardian newspaper's Weekend magazine. He has written a book with the same title about his collections.

During recording sessions for the Let It Be album, the Beatles even recorded a song about Hunter Davies called "There You Go Eddie." This song was never officially released.

In 2014, Hunter Davies was honored with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award for his contributions to literature.

Football Fan

Hunter Davies has always loved football. His first favorite team was Queen of the South when he lived in Dumfries. After moving to Carlisle, he started supporting Carlisle United.

Now living in London, his third favorite team is Tottenham Hotspur. When it comes to international football, Davies supports the Scotland team.

Personal Life

Hunter Davies was married to the writer Margaret Forster from 1960 until she passed away in 2016. Their daughter, Caitlin Davies, is also an author. Since 1963, the family lived in Dartmouth Park in north London.

During the summer, they often stayed at their second home near Loweswater in the Lake District. This home was sold in 2016. Hunter Davies wrote his own autobiography, The Beatles, Football and Me, in 2007.

Selected Works

Novels

• Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1965)
• Rise and Fall of Jake Sullivan (1970)
• A Very Loving Couple (1971)
• Body Charge (1972)

Non-Fiction

• The Beatles: The Authorised Biography (1968)
• The Other Half: Ten Case Histories of the new Poor Rich (1968)
• The Glory Game (1972)
• A Walk Along the Wall (1976)
• The Creighton Report: A Year in the Life of a Comprehensive School (1976)
• The Beatles, Revised Edition (1978)
• George Stephenson: The Remarkable Life of the Founder of the Railways (1980)
• The Joy of Stamps (1983)
• A Walk Round London's Parks (1983)
• The Beatles, 2nd Revised Edition (1986)
• The Teller of Tales: In Search of Robert Louis Stevenson (1994)
• Wainwright: The Biography (1995)
• West Cumbrian Views (1998)
• London to Loweswater: A Journey through England at the end of the Twentieth Century (1999)
• The Quarrymen (2001)
• Boots, Balls and Haircuts (2003)
• I Love Football (2006)
• The Second Half (2006)
• The Beatles, Football and Me (2007)
• The Bumper Book of Football (2007)
• Confessions of a Collector (2009)
• Postcards from the Edge of Football A Social History of a British Game (2010)
• The Beatles Lyrics (2014)
• The Biscuit Girls (2014)
• The Co-Op's Got Bananas: A Memoir of Growing Up in the Post-War North (2016)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina Travel Guide (2016)
• A Life in the Day (2017)
• The Beatles: The Authorised Biography 50th Anniversary Edition (2018)
• Happy Old Me: How to Live A Long Life, and Really Enjoy It (2019)
• The Heath: My Year on Hampstead Heath (2021)
• Love in Old Age: My Year in the Wight House (2023)