E. Nesbit was a prolific English author, editor, and poet. Throughout her career, she penned or contributed to more than sixty works of fiction, poetry, picture books, and compilations of literature, although her primary success came from her children's books. She died in 1924, possibly due to lung cancer.

Arthur Rackham is often considered a primary figure in the Golden Age of book illustration. Born in Lewisham, England, in 1867, Rackham spent the majority of his life dedicated to his career in illustrating. His work has been featured in some of the most desirable editions of classic works, such as Rip Van Winkle, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm, Gulliver's Travels, Mother Goose, The Wind in the Willows, and many more. He died in 1939 in Limpsfield, Surrey.