John Bakeless was born in 1894 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He earned a master's in philosophy and a PhD in English philology from Harvard University. During this time he earned several awards and honors for his essays and dissertation on Christopher Marlowe. Bakeless went on to teach at New York University, Sarah Lawrence College, and Finch College before retiring from teaching in 1953 in order to focus more on writing his books. Having also had a successful military career that included winning a Bronze Star, Bakeless often wrote on war, expedition, espionage, and America's pioneers.

Landon Y. Jones is an American editor and author. He is a former managing editor of People and the author of William Clark and the Shaping of the West and Great Expectations: America and the Baby Boom Generation.