E. R. Eddison (1882–1945) was born in Leeds, England, and shared an early education with fellow author Arthur Ransome. Later, after attending Eton and Oxford, Eddison joined the Board of Trade, where he worked until his retirement in 1938. In 1922 Eddison released his most enduring and critically acclaimed work, The Worm Ouroboros, depicting the land of Mercury. Eddison would return to Mercury a decade later with his Zimiamvian trilogy.