Neal W. Fandek loves U.S. and Missouri history, hiking in state and national parks and conservation areas and traveling (all 50 states and 60 countries so far). A journalist by training, Fandek has worked as an economic analyst, in a nuclear power plant, in the engine room of a Great Lakes freighter, on Wall Street, in a hot dog factory, on a Merck vaccine production line and as senior editor for Penthouse, New York. He has written on War of 1812 and Civil War battles in Missouri, its state parks, museums and the Mormons in Missouri; and wrote for and edited magazines, newsletters and web content for colleges and universities. Fandek earned history and journalism degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master's in education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His thesis on how ancient Indian civilizations are treated in textbooks, 1840s to present, was a step toward this book.

His seven-novel Peter Pike historical thriller series features tales of lost treasure and ancient America. Fandek lives in Columbia, Mo., with his wife, son and two rescue cats. This is his first nonfiction book.