Simon Adams was born in Bristol and studied at London and Bristol universities. He then worked as an editor of children's reference books before becoming a full-time writer 18 years ago. Since then, he has written and contributed to more than 70 books on subjects as varied as American history, the sinking of the Titanic, the two world wars and the history of jazz. He has written for many major children's publishers including Dorling Kindersley and Kingfisher. His work for Watts includes titles in the Citizen Guides, Flashpoints, World War One and World War Two series as well as, most recently, Countries in the News. He lives in London, listens to lots of jazz, and is an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction books.