Hilary Bradt founded Bradt Travel Guides accidentally in 1974 while backpacking with her then-husband George through South America. Though semi-retired she is still involved with the company, mostly in trying to persuade sceptical staff to publish guides to places no-one has heard of. She assumed that after 30 or so years of roughing it, and an MBE, she had finally earned the right for some comfort, and even managed a stint as lecturer on a luxury ship. But then along came Socotra... Ever since seeing images of Socotra on a David Attenborough programme, Hilary had wanted to go there. Socotra meshed perfectly with her interest in off-the-beaten-track destinations and enthusiasm for wildlife, so visiting - and writing a Bradt guidebook to the island - became a no-brainer. When not travelling, Hilary lives in Devon, UK.

Until her death in February 2023, Janice Booth's working life included professional stage management, archaeology, working for a Belgian NGO, compiling logic-puzzle magazines and travelling widely. She drove Land Rovers in Timbuktu, walked with water-buffalo in Tamil Nadu, waded in the breakers of Namibia's Skeleton Coast, and edited many Bradt guides to various far-flung places. Having seen the positive effect that guidebooks can have on countries recovering from war - particularly through personal experience of writing Bradt's Rwanda and editing Bradt's Mali - Janice was keen to visit and write about Socotra in the hope that this guide may also help to encourage visitors. After moving to Devon, she co-authored (with Hilary Bradt) Slow South Devon & Dartmoor and Slow East Devon & the Jurassic Coast.