Space. Other interests From 1993 to 1995 he was Race Director of the Polytechnic Marathon from Windsor to Chiswick, Britain's oldest marathon race which traced its origins back to the 1908 Olympic Marathon. In that role, he was involved in a public controversy over the ownership of the Sporting Life marathon trophy, originally awarded to winners of the Polytechnic Marathon, which was claimed in 1994 by the London Marathon. The Polytechnic Marathon was last held in 1996. A keen astro-philatelist, he is chairman of the Astro Space Stamp Society. Selected bibliography Stars and Planets Guide. Collins (UK). . Princeton University Press (US). . The Monthly Sky Guide. Dover. . Astronomy: A Visual Guide. Dorling Kindersley. . Gem Stars. Collins. . Times Universe. Times Books. . Exploring Stars and Planets. Philip's. . Star Tales. Lutterworth. . Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy (ed.). Oxford University Press. . Norton’s Star Alas and Reference Handbook (ed.). Dutton. . References External links Personal website CV Who's Who entry Rendlesham Forest UFO investigation pages Article on astronomical causes of UFOs Star Tales – History and mythology of the constellations Astro stamp pages Ian Ridpath's page at Amazon Author Central US Ian Ridpath's page at Amazon Author Central UK 1947 births Amateur astronomers English sceptics English science writers Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society Living people People from Ilford UFO skeptics