Edward McMaken Eager was an American author who made a distinct contribution to children's literature by introducing a theme of magic into the lives of ordinary children. Eager was born in and grew up in Toledo, Ohio and attended Harvard University. He was a childhood fan of L. Frank Baum's Oz series, and started writing children's books when he could not find stories he wanted to read to his own young son. In his books, Eager often acknowledges his debt to E. Nesbit, whom he thought of as the best children's author of all time. A well-known lyricist and playwright, Eager died in 1964 at the age of fifty-three.