Frank Herbert (born October 8, 1920, in Tacoma, died February 11, 1986, in Madison) is an American science fiction writer. He is best known as the author of the award-winning novel series The Chronicles of Dune. 1)
After numerous refusals to print the novel, Sterling Lanier, publisher of Chilton Books, a well-established publisher known for its business-to-business magazines and automobile manuals, approached Herbert and published Dune in 1965. 2)
Herbert's writings are considered the hard science fiction genre. His writings combined philosophical, psychological, theological and economic themes. He liked to analyze human nature and conjecture what it might be capable of. He was often inspired by religions, particularly Buddhism and Islam. 3)
Frank Herbert's literary debut was a short story, but it was far from a science-fiction style. He began to publish texts in thematic magazines only in 1952. His first literary success came in 1956 when he published a novel entitled Dragon in the Sea. 4)