Paul Ham
Paul Ham is an author, historian, journalist and publisher. He lives in Sydney and Paris.
Life and career
Paul Ham is an Australian historian who specialises in the 20th century history of war, politics and diplomacy. His books have received critical acclaim in Britain and Australia.
Between 1984 and 1998 Ham worked in London as a business and investment journalist - for the Financial Times Group and the Sunday Times (as its investment editor, 1994-1998).
In 1992 he co-founded a financial newsletter publishing company, whose titles included 'Governance' and 'The Money Laundering Bulletin', which he sold in 1997. For part of that period Ham also worked part-time, as the editor of 'Amnesty', the magazine of the British headquarters of Amnesty International.
On his return to Australia, in 1998, Ham was appointed the Australia correspondent for The London Sunday Times.
Between 2000 and 2003 he wrote his first book, Kokoda[1] - the story of the first land defeat of the Japanese in the Second World War; followed by Vietnam: The Australian War - a history of Australia's 15-year military involvement in Vietnam. 'Vietnam' won the NSW Premier's Prize for Australian history, and was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Prize for Non-Fiction; both 'Vietnam' and 'Kokoda' were shortlisted for the Walkley Award for Non-Fiction. His next book, 'Hiroshima Nagasaki',[2] a controversial history of the atomic bomb, was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Prize for History and published in both Australia and Britain to critical acclaim. 'Hiroshima Nagasaki' is to be published in the United States in 2014, by Thomas Dunne Books.
In 2010 Ham co-wrote and presented the documentary, 'All the Way', produced by November Films in conjunction with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), based on his history of the Vietnam War. In 2008 he was involved in the production of a documentary based on "Kokoda", produced by Pericles Films, the ABC and Screen Australia.
In 2012 Ham set up an electronic publishing business called Hampress, which publishes ebooks, audiobooks and short films.
In 2013 his new book Sandakan was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards. His latest book, 1914: The Year the World Ended, is to be published by Random House in Australia and Britain in 2013 and 2014.
In 2014, Ham published Hiroshima Nagasaki: The Real Story of the Atomic Bombings and Their Aftermath with St. Martins Press.[3]
Ham has a master's degree in Economic History from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Charles Sturt University and attended The Scots College, Sydney.
Books
- 1914: The Year the World Ended' (Random House 2013)
- Sandakan' (Random House 2012)
- Hiroshima Nagasaki' (HarperCollins Australia 2011; Random House UK 2012; Thomas Dunne Books 2014)
- Vietnam: The Australian War' (HarperCollins 2007)
- Kokoda' (HarperCollins 2004)
