Giles Milton is an English writer and historian. He was born in 1966 and graduated from the University of Bristol. Milton is the internationally best-selling author of nine works of narrative non-fiction including Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Nathaniel's Nutmeg, Big Chief Elizabeth, Samurai William, The Riddle and the Knight, White Gold, Paradise Lost, Wolfram, Russian Roulette, Fascinating Footnotes from History. He is also the author of three novels, The Perfect Corpse, According to Arnold, and Edward Trencom's Nose. His most recent book is Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die (Henry Holt and Co., 2019). His books have been translated into more than 20 languages and serialized by the BBC.

In the preface to the American edition of Fascinating Footnotes he has written: "Much of my working life is spent in the archives, delving through letters and personal papers. The huge collection housed in Britain’s National Archives is incompletely catalogued (the National Archives in Washington DC is somewhat better) and you can never be entirely sure what you will find in any given box of documents. Days can pass without unearthing anything of interest: I liken it to those metal-detecting treasure-hunters of North Carolina who scour the Outer Banks in the hope of turning up a Jacobean shilling or signet ring. Persistence often pays rich dividends and this book - an idiosyncratic collection of unknown historical chapters - is the result of my own metaphorical metal detecting. Amidst the flotsam and jetsam, I’ve found (I hope) some glittering gems."

As the host of Unknown History, Milton reveals the untold stories of the people who changed the course of our history. Whether it's exploring the forgotten heroes of D-Day, revealing the origins of Sherlock Holmes, or exposing the poisons responsible for Napoleon's downfall, Milton brings their stories to life. Using personal testimonies, diaries, journals, and letters, Unknown History recounts events of our past through the eyes of those who were there.