Biography
Frank Herbert was born in 1920 to Frank Herbert Sr. and Eileen Herbert in Tacoma, Washington. He began his career early, lying about his age on an application to the Glendale Star at the age of 19. After this his writing career was put aside so he could be a photographer in World War II. After being discharged for medical reasons, he attended the University of Washington where he met his future wife Beverly Ann Stuart. By this time they had both sold work to publications, with Herbert having sold several adventure stories to pulp magazines.
After dabbling in Science Fiction and having several more short stories published, Herbert began to write more seriously. The Dragon in the Sea, his first novel, recieved critical acclaim and praise. He didn't sell many copies, however, and over the next several years he would work to research his next novel: Dune.
He researched sand dunes in Florence, Oregon, intending to write a magazine article on the ecology of dunes. The paper was never finished, and instead served to lay the groundwork for Dune.
After six grueling years of research and writing, the novel was completed and was serialized in Analog Magazine. Although he submitted it to over ten publishing houses, only a tiny publishing house by the name of Chilton wanted to print it. After it was printed, the novel enjoyed great critical succes. Herbert won a Nebula award and shared the Hugo award for his work.
After a few years had gone by and the book had picked up steam, Herbert retired to become a full-time writer. He wrote many sequels to the original Dune and had other enduring science fiction novels as well. In 1984, Herbert's wife passed away. In the same year, David Lynch's movie Dune was released, a critical flop. The year before his death he released Chapterhouse Dune, with the intent of following it up with an unnamed Dune 7. Tragically, he died recovering from surgery on February 11th, 1986 at the age of 65.