Born in 1917, Eric Hobsbawm was educated in Austria, Germany, and England.  He was Emeritus Professor of history at Birbeck College, University of London, and Emeritus Universtiy Professor of politics and socity at the New School for Social Research.  He is the author of more than fourteen books, including The Age of Capital, The Age of Empire, The Age of Extremes, and The Jazz Scene. He died in 2012.