Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charlesston, South Carolina, where he now lives with his wife, Harriet, in a house built in 1797. He taught himself to read when he was four with the incidental aid of a twelve-year-older brother, and was tackling Mark Twain and Jules Verne by five.

He is a graduate of The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics. He served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. army; among his decorations are the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star with 'V' and two Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry.

A history buff, he has also written dance and theater criticism. He enjoys the outdoor sports of hunting, fishing, and sailing, and the indoor sports of poker, chess, pool and pipe collecting. He has been writing since 1977 and intends to continue until they nail shut his coffin.