The author, George Washington Eaton III, graduated from of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, served as a U.S. Navy Supply Officer and controller, and joined Sears catalog division in 1960. Over a 33 year career, the author moved up in the ranks in catalog store management, group and territory catalog merchandise management, and held key national catalog management positions, and retired in 1993 with the catalog company's close. Eaton's breadth of catalog experience has given him a unique perspective on how the erosion of Catalog's influence led to Sears' failure to challenge Amazon in the internet marketplace.