Enoch Arnold Bennett (May 27, 1867- March 27, 1931) was an English journalist and novelist. Born in Hanley, Staffordshire, his father was a local solicitor, and early on Arnold worked in his father's office. After winning a literary competition in 1889 he took up journalism working for a number of magazines. His early fiction included several magazine serials including The Grand Babylon Hotel. He spent much of the pre-war period in Paris. He wrote nearly forty novels and over a dozen non-fiction books on a variety of subjects. A number of his later novels were set in the "Potteries" district of Staffordshire. Several of these were made into films or television series including The Card, which stared Alec Guinness. He was a friend of Lord Beaverbrook and it was on his recommendation that Bennett was appointed as Director of Propaganda for France in the Ministry of Information during World War I. He has the distinction of having an omelet named after him at the Savoy Hotel. Harold MacGrath (September 4, 1871-October 30, 1930) was an American novelist and writer of screenplays. Born in Syracuse, New York, he first worked as a journalist for the Syracuse Herald before turning to fiction. He wrote stories and novels of romance, mystery, espionage, and adventure, and in addition to having a number of top ten selling books he also wrote stories for many of the major magazines of the day. He was one of the first major authors to write for the film industry and over twenty of his stories and novels were turned into films. Major Arthur Griffiths (1838-1908) was born at an Indian garrison post, a descendent of a long line of military men. After serving as a Second Lieutenant during the Crimean War his regiment was posted to Halifax, Nova Scotia. He also served for a period at Gibraltar before retiring from the military to join the civil service where he held the post of Inspector of Prisons. He wrote numerous books including "Mysteries of Police and Crime," "The Chronicles of Newgate," "The Passenger from Calais," and "The Rome Express."