Shelby Dade Foote Jr. was an acclaimed American writer, historian, and journalist, born on November 17, 1916 and passed away on June 27, 2005. Although he primarily viewed himself as a novelist, he is most renowned for his authorship of The Civil War: A Narrative, a comprehensive three-volume history of the American Civil War.

With deep roots in the Mississippi Delta, Foote's life and writings reflected the dramatic transformation from the agrarian planter system of the Old South to the Civil Rights era of the New South. Despite being relatively unknown to the general public for most of his career, Foote gained widespread recognition following his appearance in Ken Burns's PBS documentary The Civil War in 1990, through which he introduced a new generation of Americans to a conflict he deemed "central to all our lives."

Known for his traditional approach, Foote composed all his writings by hand using a nib pen, subsequently transcribing them into typewritten copies. While his works were largely praised during his lifetime, they have faced some criticism from professional historians and academics in the 21st century.