Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Bt, OBE, is the world's most celebrated contemporary adventurer and explorer. A former member of the SAS and the Army of the Sultan of Oman, he has been a leader of major expeditions to both poles and elsewhere in the world for over thirty years, earning him the accolade of “the world’s greatest living explorer” from the Guinness Book of World Records. Among his many achievements are: the first person to reach both poles by surface travel, the first ever unsupported crossing of the Antarctic continent, running seven marathons in seven days on seven continents, and overcoming his fear of heights by climbing the north face of the Eiger.

His career as an author includes his autobiographies Living Dangerously and Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know; Where Soldiers Fear to Tread, an account of his service in the Dhofar Rebellion; Atlantis of the Sands: The Search for the Lost City of Ubar; and Mind Over Matter: The Epic Crossing of the Antarctic Continent.