Christine Nicholls

Christine Stephanie Nicholls, née Metcalfe, (born 23 January 1943) is an author and former editor of the Dictionary of National Biography. She spent her childhood in Kenya. Now retired she lives in Oxford, England.
Early life.
Nicholls was born in England and accompanied her parents to Kenya in 1947. She moved around Kenya as her father took a series of teaching posts until he was employed permanently at Mombasa Primary School in 1954. At this time Nicholls was a boarder at Kenya High School in Nairobi.
Career.
In 1961 Nicholls went to Lady Margaret Hall, in Oxford University where she received her MA. She then attended St Anthony's College and received her D.Phil. Following her university education she was employed at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at London University as a research fellow. She later worked as a freelance researcher for the BBC Arabic department.
Nicholls joined Oxford University Press in 1977 as Assistant Editor of the Dictionary of National Biography. She later became the editor and produced 5 volumes from 1981 to 1986. She has also written a number of other factual books under the name of C.S. Nicholls.