Hilary Bailey (1936-2017) was a writer, literary critic for the Guardian and, during the 1970s, an occasional editor of New Worlds. Bailey was born in Bromley and attended Cambridge University but lived in London for a large part of her adult life and was particularly associated with the Notting Hill area, which served as a setting for several of her novels. In 1962 Bailey married the sci-fi writer Michael Moorcock and had three children, Kate, Sophie and Max. Moorcock and Bailey divorced in the 1970s. Bailey’s early work was largely science fiction, including the short story 'The Fall of Frenchy Steiner', and much of it was published in the science fiction periodical New Worlds.

Bailey’s later work spans several genres, including contemporary depictions of life, as in Polly Put the Kettle on, retellings of historical stories, such as Cassandra: Princess of Troy, continuations and reimaginings of classic novels, including Miles and Flora and Frankenstein’s Bride, and the political thriller The 51st State.

Graham Hall (1947-1980) was a science fiction writer, and both a contributor and occasional editor of New Worlds. Hall became a friend of both Bailey and Moorcock through his early enthusiasm in science fiction writing and zines. He studied English and Philosophy at Sussex University and later won a scholarship to Smith College in the US, becoming one of the first men accepted after the college became co-educational. He then travelled extensively, occasionally basing himself in Spain, before moving to the US and settling in LA.