John Grigsby Geiger was born in Ithaca, New York, and graduated in history from the University of Alberta. The author of five books of non-fiction, his work has been translated into nine languages. He is Editorial Board Editor at The Globe and Mail, and a Senior Fellow at Massey College, University of Toronto. He is a Governor of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and Chairman of the Society's Expeditions Committee, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Explorers Club, and a Member of the Advisory Board of Wings Worldquest.