James Albon was born in Cambridge, England but lived most of his life in the north-east of Scotland, never picking up the accent and constantly being mistaken for a tourist. He studied illustration at Edinburgh College of Art, went on to a postgraduate scholarship at the Royal Drawing School in London, and was awarded the Gwen May award from the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. As an illustrator, he has worked for the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian and published several illustrated novels with the Folio Society. He currently lives with his partner in Lyon, France, and has also failed to pick up any sort of authentic French accent.