Born in Massachusetts in 1915 to the children of Jewish immigrants, Milton Meltzer learned to read early in life. He does not recall how he learned to read, but does remember days spent at the library reading such stories as The Arabian Nights and Gulliver’s Travels. A full scholarship paid Meltzer's way through Columbia University. After serving in the Army Air Force during World War II, Meltzer returned to the United States to work as a publicist and then a freelance writer and editor In 1946, he published his first book, a pictorial history of Black Americans. Today, he has written more than seventy books, mostly nonfiction books for young adults. Many of his books have either won awards or been nominated for them, and several have been named Best Children’s Book of the Year.