Ben Dupre read Classics at Exeter College, Oxford, before pursuing a career in publishing. He was responsible for children's reference books at Oxford University Press from 1992 until 2004 and, all told, has more than 20 years' experience of elucidating difficult ideas for a popular audience. He is the author of Places of Destiny (published in the US as Where History was Made), 50 Big Ideas You Really Need to Know and 50 Political Ideas You Really Need to Know. A devotee of baseball and a gifted performer on both harpsichord and viola da gamba, Ben lives in North Oxford with his family.