Henry Toledano was born in Egypt and spent his childhood there. At 14, he was sent to public school in England, then went to university in London and New York. Subsequently, he traveled round the world for two years doing various jobs. He moved to The Bahamas in the mid-sixties and became associate editor for the local paper in Nassau. Ten years later, he relocated in San Francisco and for the last 35 years has been in the retail book business: first, as a partner in a new book store; then, for a longer period, in a used one. Now he sells out-of-print books online, is presently single and lives with two cats. He enjoys bridge, dabbling in the stock market and plays bad golf for exercise.