Frank Herbert was born in 1920. Before taking up writing fulltime, he was a professional photographer, journalist and occasional oyster-diver. His colourful and varied career also included stints as a radio news commentator and jungle survival instructor.He died in 1986.

His first science fiction novel was Dragon in the Sea, a prescient story of nuclear submarines, and his books include The Green Brain; Soul Catcher, based on native American stories; and The White Plague, a story of biological destruction.