How could an untutored, untravelled glover's son from hickville, the argument goes, understand kings and courtiers, affairs of state, philosophy, law, music let alone the noble art of falconry?

ECONOMIST: The man and his pen

He studied philosophy and music at the Universities of Sussex and Southampton, and went on to receive graduate degrees from Princeton.

NPR: Love and Anchovies: Catan's 'Salsipuedes'

For a while, Benson imbibed the philosophy of a gaudier and more complex sphere, heard the tinny music of their radios and stared into the dazzle of the day.

ECONOMIST: Benson