As members of the British Royal Air Force, Phillip Pullman's father and stepfather were stationed throughout the world. After Pullman was born on October 19, 1946 in Norwich, England, he spent his early years traveling with his mother by ship to places such as South Africa, Australia, and India. A frequent traveler on the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's ships, he claims that the first thing that he learned to read was the name of the steamship line which was woven into all the towels.

After he was eleven, Pullman remained in England and attended Ysgol Ardudwy, Harlech, in North Wales.

Graduating from Exeter College at Oxford University in 1968 with a B.A., he worked in factories, restaurants, and shops. In 1972 he became an English teacher with the Oxfordshire Education Authority. Since 1988 he has served as a lecturer at Westminster College in Oxford. The father...