William Chappell was born 27 September, 1907 in Wolverhampton, England, UK. He was educated at Chelsea Arts School in London and began dance study with Marie Rambert at 17 and danced in many ballets as well as designing costumes and sets. His published books include Studies in Ballet (1948), Fonteyn: Impressions of a Ballerina (1951) and Edward Burra (1982) He died in Rye, East Sussex, England on 1 January 1994.