Richard Burton Matheson was born in Allendale, New Jersey, on 20 February 1926.

The recipient of numerous honours, including the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement, Matheson is remembered as one of the great masters of twentieth-century fantasy and horror fiction. His writing stands out for its ability to fuse the ordinary with the uncanny, and to explore the inner reaches of the human spirit. His best-known works include I Am Legend, The Shrinking Man, Hell House, and A Stir of Echoes.