Brian David Sibley (born 14 July 1949) is an English writer. He is author of over 100 hours of radio drama and has written and presented hundreds of radio documentaries, features and weekly programmes. He is widely known as the author of many film "making of" books, including those for the Harry Potter series and The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
Sibley was born in Wandsworth, London,[1] to Eric George Sibley, an architectural draughtsman, and Doris Alice Sibley (née Summers). His uncle was the philosopher Frank Sibley.
His family moved to Chislehurst, Kent when he was five years old. He was educated at St Nicholas Church of England Primary School and Chislehurst Secondary School for Boys (later renamed Edgebury School for Boys), where he was awarded A-levels in English and Art.
Following the frustration of his varied ambitions to be an actor, a cartoonist and an animator, Sibley worked first in various clerical capacities for the London Borough of Bromley, and then for a shipping and finance company in London as a clerk, office manager and head of department. In his spare time he began submitting scripts to the BBC and, when his company was taken over, he accepted redundancy and became a full-time freelance writer.
Sibley's first programme was Three Cheers for Pooh, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 14 October 1976 to mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh. The programme was presented by actor Peter Bull, featured the voices of Norman Shelley and pianist and singer Antony Miall and was directed by John Tydeman, later Head of BBC Drama.[2]
His original radio plays include: ...And Yet Another Partridge in a Pear Tree, starring Penelope Keith, C. S. Lewis: Northern Irishman, and It's Too Late Now.
He was a contributor to and then regular presenter of the former BBC Radio 4 arts programme Kaleidoscope and the BBC World Service arts magazine, Meridian. He also presented the Radio 4 film programme, Talking Pictures, was a regular presenter of The Afternoon Shift and chaired the radio panel games Break A Leg and Screen Test.
He has also contributed to Radio 4's Last Word, Brief Lives, A Good Read, The Radio 2 Arts Show and Radio 3's Night Waves. He also presented several series of the BBC television programme, First Light.[4]
He is also the author of the children's book, The Frightful Food Feud, and has edited, among other books, The Pooh Sketchbook, The Pooh Book of Quotations and The Wisdom of C. S. Lewis.
The author of The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy and other books accompanying The Lord of the Rings, he subsequently wrote the official biography of the films' director, Peter Jackson: A Filmmaker's Journey.
His Christmas book, Joseph and the Three Gifts,[6] published in September 2019, was described by Frank Cottrell Boyce as "a little masterpiece". The book was abridged and serialised (by the author) for broadcast in the Christmas week of 2021 on BBC Radio 4, where it was read by Alex Jennings and directed by Martin Jarvis.
In 2021, his fable Osric the Extraordinary Owl, illustrated by his friend Pauline Baynes, was privately published in a limited edition. He is currently editing a book of the letters of Walt Disney.
Sibley is also the editor of The Sunday Times Best-seller, J.R.R.Tolkien's The Fall of Númenor (2022), illustrated by Alan Lee and the winner of the Tolkien Society's 'Best Book of 2023' award.[8]
Sibley was the President of The Lewis Carroll Society (2014-2024) when he relinquished the presidency in order to become the Society's Chair. He is an honorary member of The Children's Books History Society, The Magic Circle (of which he was Chair of Council 2012–14 and 2017 to 2020) and the Tolkien Society, from whom he received an Outstanding Contribution Award 2022.
The Land of Narnia: Brian Sibley Explores the World of C. S. Lewis, illustrated by Pauline Baynes. HarperCollins, 1989.[11]
A Christmas Carol: The Unsung Story. Lion Hudson, 1994.[12]
The Map of Tolkien's Middle-earth, illustrated by John Howe. HarperCollins, 1994.[13]
There and Back Again: The Map of The Hobbit, illustrated by John Howe. HarperCollins, 1995.
A Lively Oracle: A Centennial Celebration of P. L. Travers, Magical Creator of Mary Poppins, edited by Ellen Dooling Draper and Jenny Koralek (as contributor). Larson, 1999.
The Map of Tolkien's Beleriand and the Lands to the North, illustrated by John Howe. HarperCollins, 1999.
A Treasury of Narnia, with Alison Sage, illustrated by Pauline Baynes and Julek Heller. HarperCollins, 1999.[14]
Three Cheers for Pooh: A Celebration of the Best Bear in All the World, illustrated by E. H. Shepard. Egmont, 2001 and 2006, and Farshore, 2014.[15]
The Maps of Tolkien's Middle-earth, illustrated by John Howe. HarperCollins, 2003.
The Road Goes Ever On and On: The Map of Tolkien's Middle-earth, revised, illustrated by John Howe. HarperCollins, 2003.
There and Back Again: The Map of Tolkien's The Hobbit, revised, illustrated by John Howe. HarperCollins, 2003.
West of the Mountains, East of the Sea: The Map of Tolkien's Beleriand, revised, illustrated by John Howe. HarperCollins, 2010.
The Writer's Map: An Atlas of Imaginary Lands, edited by Huw Lewis-Jones (as contributor). Thames & Hudson, 2018.
The Great Tales Never End: Essays in Memory of Christopher Tolkien, edited by Richard Ovenden and Catherine McIlwaine (as contributor). Bodleian Library Publishing, 2022.
The Maps of Middle-earth, revised, illustrated by John Howe. HarperCollins, 2024.
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: His Life and Times, with Richard Holliss. Fleetway Books and Harper & Rowe, 1986.
Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs & the Making of the Classic Film, with Richard Holliss. Hyperion, 1987.[16]
The Disney Studio Story, with Richard Holliss. Octopus and Crown, 1988.
Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave: Storyboard Collection, with Nick Park. BBC Books, 1997.
Cracking Animation: The Practical Book of 3-D Animation, with Peter Lord. Thames & Hudson, 1998, 2004, 2010 and 2015. (Also published by Harry N. Abrams as Creating 3-D Animation.)[17]
Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers: Storyboard Collection, with Nick Park. BBC Books, 1998.
Chicken Run: Hatching the Movie. Harry N. Abrams, 2000.[18]
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Insiders' Guide. HarperCollins, 2001.[19]
The Lord of the Rings: Official Movie Guide. HarperCollins, 2001.[20]
The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy. HarperCollins, 2002.[21]
The Golden Compass: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion. Scholastic, 2007.[22]
Mary Poppins: Anything Can Happen If You Let It, with Michael Lassell. Hyperion, 2007.
Harry Potter: Film Wizardry. Bantam, 2010 and 2012 and HarperCollins, 2018.[23]
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Official Movie Guide. HarperCollins, 2012.[24]
The Making of The Pirates. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Official Movie Guide. HarperCollins, 2013.[25]
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies: Official Movie Guide. HarperCollins, 2014.[26]
Weta Digital: 20 Years of Imagination on Screen, with Clare Burgess. HarperCollins, 2014.
How to Be a Disney Historian, by Jim Korkis (as contributor). Theme Park Press, 2016.
The Art and Making of Artemis Fowl. Disney, 2020.
The Walt Disney Film Archives: The Animated Movies 1921-1968, edited by Daniel Kothenschulte (as contributor). Taschen, 2022.
Shadowlands: The Story of C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman. Hodder & Stoughton, 1985 and 1990. (Also published by the Fleming H. Revell Company as C. S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands in 1985, and by Hodder & Stoughton as Shadowlands: The True Story of C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman in 1998).[27]
The Thomas the Tank Engine Man: The Story of the Reverend W. Awdry and his Really Useful Engines. Egmont, 1994, and William Heinemann, 1995.
The Thomas the Tank Engine Man: The Story of the Reverend W. Awdry and his Really Useful Engines, revised edition, Lion Hudson, 2015.[28]
Peter Jackson: A Film-maker's Journey. HarperCollins, 2006.[29]
We Could Possibly Comment: Ian Richardson Remembered, by Sharon Mail (as contributor and editor). Matador, 2009.[30]
