Lloyd Alexander, the author of the Black Cauldron was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 30, 1924. He started reading at age three. When he was 15 he decided to become an author, the profession was discouraged by his parents, but he persisted. He liked Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and Charles Dickens, and also liked old Celtic myths about King Arthur. After his 19th birthday he dropped out of college to join the army. When he was stationed in Paris France he took notes for future books. Now he has written almost forty books.