John Ellis was born in Bradford and educated at the Universities of Sussex and Manchester. He was a lecturer in the latter’s department of Military Studies. His books include The Sharps End: The Fighting Man in World War II; The Social History of the Machine Gun (both available in Pimlico); Eye-Deep in Hell, an account of trench life in the Great War; Cassino: The Hollow Victory; and Brute Force: Allied Strategy and Tactics in the Second World War.
Books in order of publication:
| The Social History of the Machine Gun | 1975 |
| The Sharp End: The Fighting Man in World War II | 1980 |
| Cassino: The Hollow Victory: The Battle for Rome January-June 1944 | 1984 |
| Eye-Deep In Hell: Trench Warfare In World War I | 1989 |
| Brute Force: Allied Strategy And Tactics In The Second World War | 1990 |
| World War II: A Statistical Survey: The Essential Facts and Figures for All the Combatants | 1993 |
| One Day In A Very Long War | 1998 |
| The World War I Databook: The Essential Facts and Figures for all the Combatants | 2001 |
| Cavalry: The History Of Mounted Warfare (Pen & Sword Military Classics) | 2004 |
| Blackpool at War: A History of the Fylde Coast During the Second World War | 2013 |
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