Harrie Irving Hancock was born on January 16, 1868 in Massachusetts, passing away on March 12, 1922. Although he was a chemist, he is recognized more for his writing. He was a journalist for several years, working for the Boston Globe, and served as a war correspondent during the Spanish-American War. He specialized in juvenile writing, although he also wrote a bit about sports, and even a series of books about physical fitness. Typically, his stories featured adventures with male hero figures, sometimes set in the past, or often in military combat. He typically wrote under his name, though occasionally used a pseudonym. He is credited with writing dozens of books, along with numerous articles for newspapers and magazines. Hancock was enamored with Japanese fighting styles, such as Jiu-Jitsu, and not only wrote about it, he practiced the sport. Unfortunately, he was also guilty of using racial stereotypes in his works, particularly against Germans and Chinese characters, as the subtitle of his work illustrates.