SHOWELL STYLES was born in Four Oaks, Warwickshire and was educated at Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School. He went on to be a bank clerk before turning to more adventurous pursuits. His first taste of traveling was an extended “tramp” around Europe from 1936 to 1937. During World War II he served as a lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy and once had his ship torpedoed. After seven years in the service, he led a Himalayan expedition and then two Arctic expeditions in 1952 and 1953. He had been a professional author since 1946 and his books have been translated into many languages. Even at age ninety-one, he continued to write a book a year. He passed away in 2005.