The book is the work of William Mitcheson Timlin (1892 - 1943). Timlin was born in Ashington, Northumberland, the son of a colliery foreman. He attended Morpeth Grammar School, where he demonstrated his talent for drawing, and was awarded a scholarship to art school at Armstrong College in Newcastle (which later became part of Newcastle University). In 1912, he moved to South Africa where he completed his education in art and architecture and stayed for the rest of his life to pursue a successful career as an architect, illustrator and author.