David Gilbert was born in East London in 1954 and studied European Literature at university before building a distinguished career in UK retail and bookselling. He served as Managing Director of both Currys and Waterstones, playing a significant role in shaping the British book trade and retail sector.Alongside his commercial career, David has remained deeply involved in the arts and literature, serving as Chair of the Arts Council-backed National Centre for Writing and Chair of the Association of Illustrators. He continues to study Archaeology and Philosophy and is a Trustee of Friends of Cookham Abbey, an archaeological charity whose excavations inspired his debut middle-grade novel, Silver Serpent and The Wild Ice Child. Combining historical research with imagination and storytelling, his work brings Saxon England vividly to life for young readers.