Lloyd Alexander is a towering figure figure in young adult literature with his fiction earning awards, critical praise, and a large audience. He did not come by his fame and popularity easily; he labored for many years and endured frequent rejections before achieving renown. The tremendous success of his second novel for young adults, The Book of Three (1964; see separate entry, Vol. 5), made him almost overnight one of the foremost writers for young people. The book's lyrical prose, complex characters, and well-structured plot justifiably garnered critical acclaim and great accepThe Iron Ring 4701 tance from the book-buying public.

He was born in Philadelphia on January 30, 1924 to Edna Chudley Alexander and Alan Audley Alexander, a stockbroker. As a youngster, he was an avid reader of mythology and folk tales. These early readings may have inspired The Arkadians (1995; see separate entry, Vol. 9) and his other recent writings...