Alex Johnson is a journalist, blogger and author of Rooms of Their Own: Where Great Writers Write, Improbable Libraries and Bookshelf. He lives in St Albans, London with his wife, three children, and plenty of books from all over the world.

James Oses is an artist and illustrator from south London. He specialises in painting interesting places, often working in ink and watercolours. His work has been published in The New Yorker, The Guardian and Radio Times. Other clients include Borough Market, Marks & Spencer and the Poetry Society. He also teaches at Middlesex University.