Eric Chaline is a professional journalist and writer specializing in history, philosophy, and religion. A graduate of Cambridge University and The School of African and Oriental Studies, London, he lived in Tokyo for seven years where he was English-language editor for Kodansha Publishers.

His book credits from that time include Martial Arts for Fitness and Tai Chi for Mind, Body and Spirit, which have been translated into several languages.

More recently, he has published titles on philosophy, including The Book of Zen, and on history, including Traveler's Guide to the Ancient World: Ancient Greece, History's Worst Inventions, and History's Worst Deceptions.

He now lives and works in London, where he is conducting doctoral research in sociology at South Bank University.