ROBERT LEROY RIPLEY was an American cartoonist who created and developed the world-famous Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoon strip in the years after the First World War. He travelled the globe in search of unusual objects and stories, and built up an extraordinary collection of everything from shrunken heads to dinosaur eggs and iron maidens. These are now exhibited in Ripley museums around the world, including one in London's Piccadilly Circus. The Ripley's Believe It or Not! annual has become an international bestseller, and Ripley's have won awards for their high-quality children's books.