After working for ten years at the Book of the Month Club, where he was Creative Director of several clubs, including Book of the Month Club, Quality Paperback Book Club, and One Spirit Book Club, Joseph Cummins went freelance in 2001. Since then he has published twelve books, mainly works of popular history. His publications include a novel, The Snow Train (Akashic Books, 2001); History's Great Untold Stories (National Geographic, 2007); Turn Around and Run Like Hell (Murdoch Books, 2006); Great Rivals in History (Murdoch Books, 2007); Anything For A Vote: Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots and October Surprises in U.S. Presidential Campaigns (Quirk Books, 2008); Cast Away: Shipwrecked, Marooned or Cast Adrift on the High Seas (Murdoch Books, 2008); The War Chronicles, Volumes I & 2 (Fair Winds Press, 2008-9); First Encounters with Unknown People (Murdoch Books, 2009); and The World's Bloodiest History (Fair Winds Press, 2010).His forthcoming books include Eaten by A Giant Clam: Great Adventures in Natural Science (Murdoch Books, September 2010); and Why Some Wars Never End: The Longest Conflicts in History (Fair Winds Press, November 2010).Joe's YA credits include President Obama and a New Birth of Freedom (Collins, 2009) and the History's Greatest Hits: Famous Events We Should Know More About (Murdoch Books, 2010). All told, his titles have sold over 150,000 copies in America, Australia, Canada and the UK. Joe lives with his wife and daughter in Maplewood, New Jersey.