Richard Harding Davis was born on April 18, 1864. He was a journalist of some renown. He was the first American war correspondent to cover the Spanish-American War, the Second Boer War, and the First World War. His writing greatly assisted the political career of Theodore Roosevelt and he also played a major role in the evolution of the American magazine. His works of fiction are also very enjoyable, his journalistic training pushing the narrative and characters throughout the book.