Daniel Austin (danielaustin.co.uk) is a travel writer, tour leader and editor who has written a number of Bradt guidebooks (e.g. Madagascar, Madagascar Wildlife and The Travel Quiz Book) over the past couple of decades, and worked on scores of others in an editorial capacity. As the editor of this centenary edition of the South American Handbook, he uses his expertise in efficient digital data control and automated workflows to co-ordinate an international team of country experts. His own love for the great continent is manifest in his work as a guest lecturer and naturalist for a series of expedition cruises along the coast of Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.

One of the first assignments Ben Box took as a freelance writer in 1980 was subediting work on the South American Handbook. At the time he was writing about contemporary Iberian and Latin American affairs, but soon the lands south of the Rio Grande took over, inspiring journeys to all corners of South America. He became editor of the South American Handbook in 1989 and continued in that role until handing the reins to Daniel Austin for this centenary edition. Ben has written guidebooks to Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Central America and Mexico, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean overall. He is also the author of Bradt's Traveller's Cookbook: South America, an appetising guide to South American cuisine, and has contributed to newspapers, magazines and learned tomes. Having a doctorate in Spanish and Portuguese studies from London University, Ben maintains a strong interest in Latin American literature and culture.