An authority on the Suez Canal, Hugh Schonfield has written four books on the subject: "Ferdinand de Lesseps"; "Italy and Suez"; "The Suez Canal"; and "The Suez Canal in World Affairs," published in 1952. He contributes the article on the Suez in Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year. A historian and biographer, Hugh Schonfield was educated at St. Paul's School and Glasgow University. Most of his published works deal with the ancient civilisations of the Near and Middle East in which he early developed an interest. He has been prominent in the spheres of World Citizenship and World Government and is widely known as one of the founders of the Commonwealth of World Citizens.