Ron David

Ron David, a former editor-in-chief of the For Beginners series, is also the author of Toni Morrison Explained: A Reader’s Road Map to the Novels (Random House, 2000). Previous works for For Beginners include Arabs & Israel For Beginners, Jazz For Beginners, and Opera For Beginners. Ron has been a guest lecturer on all of these subjects across the United States, and he has been awarded a NJ State Council for the Arts fellowship for his novel-in-progress, The Lebanese Book of the Dead. He lives in Kihei, Hawaii, with his wife, the designer Susan David. Dirk Shearer is a freelance illustrator who has created art for Spencer Gifts, Split Lip, Image Comics, and Evileye Books. Dirk received his BFA from Columbus College of Art and Design. www.dirkshearer.com