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Alan Lee was born and raised in London, and studied graphic art and design. Enchanted by myth and folklore from an early age, he gravitated toward the field of book illustration -- following in the footsteps of Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac, master illustrators of the 19th century. After graduation, Alan shared commercial studio space in London with Brian Froud and a number of other artists, then relocated to a small Dartmoor village with Brian in 1976. There, they created the mythic art book Faeries, which became an international bestseller.

Since that time, Alan has established himself as one of England's preeminent book artists, creating exquisite watercolor paintings for The Mabinogion, Castles, Merlin Dreams, and Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Illiad (winner of the pretigious Kate Greenaway Award), among other titles. He illustrated the lavish new editions of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and designed the sets for three films based on this work. He has also designed for other films, such as Legend, Erik the Viking, and Merlin.