Marvellously untouched by twelve years of formal education, Sylvian Hamilton has been at different times a secretary, mother, lexicographer, journalist, farmer, second-hand bookseller and antiques dealer. She is a devoted *Star Trek* fan. Since arthritis clipped her wings, she spends much of her time at home, a tiny cottage in the Scottish border country, with a very patient husband, two cats and about five thousand books.
