Jonathan Stroud

Born in 1970 in Bedford, England, Stroud began to write stories at a very young age.^[1] He grew up in St Albans where he attended Wheatfields Junior School and St Albans Boys' School.^[2] He enjoyed reading books, drawing pictures, and writing stories. He attributes his love of reading and writing to being ill between the ages of seven and nine. To escape boredom, he would occupy himself with books and stories.^[3] He studied of English literature at the University of York where he was a member of Vanbrugh College, after which he worked in London as an editor for publishers Walker Books.^[4] During the 1990s, he started publishing his own works and quickly gained success.^[3]

Among his works are the best-selling^[5] Bartimaeus Trilogy, which has received note for its satire and use of magic to explore themes of class struggle. By narrating the story from the perspective of Bartimaeus, a sarcastic and slightly egomaniacal djinni, Stroud examines the stereotypes and ethics of the magician class and the enslaved demons.^[6][7] The books in this series, his first to be published in the United States, are The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, Ptolemy's Gate, and prequel The Ring of Solomon.

In 2013, the first book in the Lockwood & Co (which is about a ghost hunter agency in a ghost-ravaged England) series, Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase was released, and achieved critical acclaim, with Rick Riordan calling Stroud a "genius".^[8] The second book, The Whispering Skull, was released in September 2014. A third novel, titled The Hollow Boy, was announced through a competition orchestrated by Stroud, asking readers to send in an idea for a ghost to feature in the third story.^[9] The fourth book, The Creeping Shadow, was published in 2016, and the last book in the series, The Empty Grave, was published in 2017.^[10]

In late 2020, Netflix announced that Stroud's Lockwood & Co. series would be made into a television show produced by Nira Park, Rachael Prior, and Joe Cornish.^[11] Filming began in July 2021 in London.^[12]

His newest series, The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, which currently consists of three books, is about two outlaws and their infamous heists.

Stroud lives in St Albans, Hertfordshire,^[13] with his wife Gina and their three children.^[3]