Colin Dann was born in Richmond, London, in 1943. After leaving school he worked first for a large textile company before his real love - the world of books - brought him a job in publishing. He worked for William Collins, Sons & Co. for thirteen years. During this time, Colin wrote his first book, The Animals of Farthing Wood, which was published in 1979. It was an immediate success, winning awards and it has now been translated into sixteen languages. Six sequels and one prequel followed and enjoyed similar success. In 1992 a major animation series based on the Farthing Wood stories was broadcast by the BBC and it stole the hearts of children throughout Britain and Europe. Colin lives with his wife in a converted coast house on the Kent/Sussex border.