Ghost story author Algernon Blackwood was born to wealthy parents in Kent in 1869. After university he moved to America, running hotels and a dairy farm. He later worked as a journalist for titles including the New York Times, before moving back to the UK and beginning his fiction writing career.
He produced hundreds of novels, plays and short stories exploring the world of the supernatural. These included scripts for radio and tales for children. His story A Prisoner of Fairyland was adapted by Sir Edward Elgar into musical The Starlight Express.