MILLBROOK — Bryan Bunch is a prolific author, and what he writes about is astounding, because his books cover such a wide range of topics. His first love is math and the history of math, but the subject of his other books include science, gardening, people and current and past events.
Bunch also loves to recount facts and figures, taking readers on a fascinating journey that when written by other authors could easily have been dull.
One of the many reasons why Bunch’s books are so interesting to read may be because his own interests are so varied. He also has a delightful sense of humor. Here are some surprising facts about him: He received his B.A. in English, not math or science. He admits to spending a year after graduation writing poetry. He began his career as a copy editor in publishing in Manhattan.
So why did he change course? Well, the realization that the United States might lose the space race to the Soviet Union was a catalyst. It prompted him to return to his earlier love of math and resume graduate studies with a concentration in foundations and logic.
That led to a career change. Bunch also switched interests, from reference books to text books, becoming a mathematics editor and spending the next 20 years in the field, and becoming an editor-in-chief in the math and science departments.
When he left the business of editing, it was to become a freelance editor and consultant. He later submitted a book proposal, which was then published in 1982. The book was “Mathematical Fallacies and Paradoxes.” This led to his joining The Hudson Group of Writers and making another career move to working on reference books.
Going out on his own, Bunch started Scientific Publishing, Inc., a venture that led to focusing on the use of computers in publishing books about scientific subjects, including current science, science history and medicine.
This project kept Bunch busy for another 25 years. Retirement followed, so he said, but did it really?
Bunch has stayed busy writing and doing extensive research on the subjects he loves best: math and science.
He’s written 20 books and shows no signs of slowing down. His devoted readers are happy for that. His latest book seems to have cultivated a whole new audience, as well as pleased his faithful fans.
That book, “STEM Chronology,” published this March, is an engaging tome consisting of approximately 10,000 chronological reports from 3,400,000 BCE through 2018. With contributions from Alexander Hellemans, it tells of the main contributions made to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for each year. If it sounds tedious, it’s not. But it is interesting.
Based on his 2004 edition of “The History of Science and Technology,” this revised edition is current and includes 182 short essays on special topics of interest and the abbreviated biographies of 200 scientists.
Bunch also uses important events in all four categories, explaining each and their significance to the world in layman’s terms.
The ability to make these topics interesting and fun in no way lessens their importance to the world or to history, but it does make them more fun to learn about. One marvels at the breadth and scope of so much knowledge amassed together in one book, and how Bunch was able to pull it all together.
In his other, private life, Bunch is a much respected and fondly regarded member of the Millbrook community. He’s an active member of the Millbrook Rotary Club. A native of Illinois, Bunch and his wife, Marianne, have lived in neighboring Pleasant Valley for many years, and are integral parts of the both that town and Millbrook.
Also a bookseller, Bunch stays plenty busy. His own books are available at Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook and on Amazon, as well as at other stores.
