Allen Drury was an American author best known for his 1959 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Advise and Consent. He wrote more than 20 books, including the popular political novels A Shade of Difference and Preserve and Protect. Drury was born in California in 1918 and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He began his writing career as a journalist and later became a full-time novelist. His works often focused on politics and government, and he was praised for his ability to capture the nuances of Washington politics.