In an interview given just after the publication of Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, Brian Jacques described himself as an "entertainer"—a description that understates the rich and varied life experiences he brings to his writing. Brian Jacques was born June 15, 1939 in Liverpool, England.

His truck driver father had a healthy appreciation for literature and made sure that his son learned to love books. As a child, Jacques's favorite authors were Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. He wrote his first story at the age of ten about a crocodile and a bird who cleaned the crocodile's teeth, but his teacher rejected the story because she thought it was too well written for a ten year old. Like most working class youth in Liverpool, Jacques left school at fifteen and over the years worked in numerous occupations including...