John Clarke grew up in Brackley, where his family lived for several generations. He was educated at Brackley Junior School and Magdalen College School. He sang in St Peter's Church choir and trainspotted at Brackley Central Station, where his father was the Booking Clerk.He studied at Wadham College, Oxford and took a First in Modern History in 1967. The same year he was elected as a Fellow of All Souls College. He completed his doctorate in 1972. He moved to the University of Buckingham in 1976 and stayed there until his retirement. He now lives in Lancashire.John Clarke's books include George III; The Price of Progress: England in the Age of Cobbett; The National Interest: British Diplomacy and Foreign Policy 1793 - 1865; The Book of Buckingham; The Book of Brackley; Yesterday's Brackley; and Castle House Buckingham.
