Edmund Clerihew Bentley was born in London in 1875; he won a scholarship to Merton College, Oxford and it was while studying Law in London that he began writing for various newspapers and magazines. Although called to the Bar in 1902, most of his working life was spent at the Daily Telegraph, although he 'retired' from journalism in 1934, with the outbreak of WWII and the call-up of younger men, he returned as literary critic in 1939, eventually leaving in 1947.
He made the acquaintance of G. K. Chesterton while at school and they remained lifelong friends. Later in their lives, both also were destined to be President of the Detection Club. Bentley contributed to the early collaborative efforts of the Detection Club, Behind the Screen and The Scoop in 1930 and 1931; and in 1938 edited an impressive anthology, The Second Century of Detective Stories. But his reputation as a detective story writer rests almost entirely on his first detective novel. He died in London in March 1956.