Born on July 9, 1953, in Detroit, Michigan, Thomas Ligotti is quite possibly one of the most underrated contemporary authors in the horror genre. One critic has written of his power as a storyteller: "It's a skilled writer indeed who can suggest a horror so shocking that one is grateful it was kept offstage."

His work has appeared regularly in a host of horror and fantasy magazines, as well as a number of short story collections. He has also collaborated with the musical group Current 93 to produce In a Foreign Town, In a Foreign Land, a book accompanied by a CD containing background sounds and music intended to accompany the reading; an interesting combination that works disturbingly well.

Ligotti is a very private person, therefore the somewhat odd image above is the only publically known photograph of him.