Ronald Arbuthnott Knox

Born in Leicestershire in 1888, Ronald Knox was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, where he gained a reputation as an exceptional classicist. He was first ordained in the Church of England, then was received into the Roman Catholic Church in 1917, a turning point that shaped the rest of his life and writing.

Knox became widely known as a Catholic priest, theologian, essayist, and radio broadcaster, but he also had a playful side that made him memorable to mystery readers. He wrote detective novels including The Viaduct Murder and The Three Taps, and he is often remembered for the famous "Ten Commandments" of detective fiction, a witty attempt to define fair-play mysteries.

Alongside his fiction, he produced influential religious writing and a well-known English translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate, often called the Knox Bible. He died in 1957, leaving behind a body of work that mixes intelligence, humor, and an unusual range of interests.