Lancelot Hogben was born in Southsea, Hampshire, England, in 1895 and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge University, where he obtained his M.S. degree. he received his D.Sc. degree from London Unversity and an honorary LL.D. from Birmingham Univesity. His other popular books include Science for the Citizen and (with Frederick Bodmer) The Loom of Language.