Henry Wiencek was born in Boston and educated at Yale. He has contributed articles to American Heritage, Smithsonian, and other publications, and is the author of a number of books, including Mansions of the Virginia Gentry, Plantations of the Old South, and Old Houses. He was the editor of the twelve-volume Smithsonian Guide to Historic America and wrote two volumes in that series. He lives in Virginia with his wife, the writer Donna Lucey, and their son, Henry.