Joseph Conrad (originally J�zef Teodor Konrad Nalecz Korzeniowski) was born in the Ukraine in 1857 and grew up under Tsarist autocracy. In 1896 he settled in Kent, where he produced within fifteen years such modern classics as Youth, Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim, Typhoon, Nostromo, The Secret Agent and Under Western Eyes. He continued to write until his death in 1924. Today Conrad is generally regarded as one of the greatest writers of fiction in English--his third language. Michael Ross is a graduate of the University of Virginia. He practiced corporate law, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. He is the author of Ethics and Integrity in Law and Business: Avoiding 'Club Fed.' He is the author of five other books―Ross's Novel Discoveries (2015), Ross's Timely Discoveries (2016), Ross's Thoughtful Discoveries (2017), Ross's Personal Discoveries (2018), and Ross's Communicative Discoveries (2019). Ross and his wife, Virginia, live in Orinda, CA, and have two children. Shane Cluskey is an award winning Irish illustrator and designer based in Galway. He trained at the School of Visual Arts, New York and Illustration Academy, Kansas.