Robert Scott, the author's pseudonym, is the great grandson of a ploughboy who ran away when working at picking up stones for a penny a day on a Scottish Borders estate in the 1830's. So Great a Man is a generational saga based on that family history. Qualified in London in 1968, the author passed his Fellowship examination, was appointed a Consultant in a surgical speciality and also worked as an expert witness. During his career he had over 50 original scientific papers published. Now retired, he continues to contribute occasionally to the literature in his field of expertise. Lucy Skoulding graduated in English Literature from Warwick University in 2016. She is currently working as senior journalist and editor in London, and she is training for the NCTJ journalism qualification with the Press Association.