Richard Nelson Bolles, known the world over as the author of the best-selling job-hunting book in history, What Color Is Your Parachute? is acknowledged as "America's top career expert" by Modern Maturity Magazine, "the one responsible for the renaissance of the career counseling profession in the United States over the past decade" by Money Magazine, and "the most widely read and influential leader in the whole career planning field" by the U.S. Law Placement Assn. Dick is listed in "Who's Who In America," and "Who's Who In the World" and has been featured in countless magazines (including Reader's Digest, Fortune, Money Magazine and Business Week), newspapers, radio, and TV (CNN, Ted Koppel, ABC's Nightline, Diane Sawyer, CBS News and many others).

Dick Bolles was born in Milwaukeee, Wisconsin, grew up in Teaneck, N.J., where he attended and graduated from high school. He served in the U.S. Navy and worked as a messenger on Wall Street before attending college. The author's academic background is in engineering, physics, and Biblical studies. Having majored in chemical engineering during his two years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bolles transferred to Harvard University and earned a bachelor's degree in physics (cum laude). He also holds a master's degree in New Testament studies from the General (Episcopal) Theological Seminary in New York City, is a member of MENSA and the recipient of two honorary doctorates.

Bolles lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has five grown children: Stephen, Mark, Gary, Sharon, and Serena (his step-daughter). Dick's grandfather was a U.S. congressman, and his father an editor for the Associated Press. His brother was the famous investigative reporter Don Bolles, who was assassinated in Phoenix, Ariz., in 1976. Dick's sister, Ann Johnson, lives in Mt. Holly, N.J.

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