Born January 30, 1924, to Alan and Edna Alexander in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the young Lloyd Alexander was a lover of stories, especially tales from Greek and Celtic mythology. Alexander, who declared from age 15 that he wanted to write poetry, worked as a messenger boy in a bank until he could afford tuition to West Chester State Teacher's College. In 1942, at the end of only one semester of college, Alexander left his studies for a more adventurous life in the army. After a few unexciting months in Texas, he was assigned to a military intelligence training center in Maryland. Shipped to Wales, Alexander discovered 'an enchanted world,' one where 'I recognized faces from all the hero tales of my childhood …not until years afterwards did I realize I had been given a glimpse of another enchanted kingdom' (My Love Affair with Music, 1960). ...