I have worked in the Earth Sciences Department (formerly the Geology Department) at University College London since 1976.  Originally I worked as Curator of the many thousands of specimens of rocks, minerals and fossils in the Geology collections, and spent a number of years teaching in the classroom and in the field, collecting a PhD on the way. I have co-authored the Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals of the World, published by Kingfisher/Larousse, and worked from time to time with Dorling Kindersley, Thunder Bay Press, and Scholastic.  More recent interests have included the geology of gravestones. In my spare time, apart from geologising, I play accordion for a folk/ceilidh band, and saxophone for the Camden Light Orchestra along with a bit of tap dancing!