Nicolas Bentley cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and author was born in Hampstead in 1907, the son of writer EC Bentley (inventor of "clerihew"). His godfather was G.K. Chesterton. He was educated at University College, London andHeatherley's School of Art. His first illustrated book was Hilaire Belloc's "New Cautionary Tales" (1930). He began a successful stint as a commercial artist and freelance cartoonist, contributing to "Punch", "Daily Express", "Night and Day" and others. During the Second World War he worked at the Ministry of Information and served as a fireman. He was co-founder of publishers Andre Deutsch and worked for serveral other publishers. He cartooned for among others the "Daily Mail", "Sunday Times" and "Private Eye" illustrating "Auberon Waugh's Diary". He also wrote novels and continuted to illusrated books. Bentley mainly drew figures without backgrounds or setting making use of solid black. He died in Somerset in 1978. "The Prion Cartoon Classics" are an on-going series show-casing the finest and funniest comic cartoonists of the 20th century from Britain, Europe and the United States.