Alfred Walter Stewart was born on the 5th September 1880 in Glasgow, Scotland.He was educated at Glasgow High School before entering Glasgow University to earn his doctorate in chemistry in 1902. Such was his talent that he was awarded the Mackay-Smith scholarship.After a year in Marburg engaged in research he entered, in 1903, University College, London. Here he began independent research and the results formed part of his thesis which gained him a DSc degree from Glasgow University in 1907. His obvious talents in his field were prodigious and resulted in several scholarships and academic books. He also received appointments to lecture at both Belfast and Glasgow Universities.In literature he is chiefly remembered for his first novel ‘Nordenholt’s Million’ (1923), an early eco-catastrophe disaster novel in which bacteria threaten to destroy agriculture around the world.In his part-time career as an author, he also wrote 17 detective novels and a number of short stories under the pseudonym of J J Connington.He retired from his academic work in 1944 following recurrent heart problems.J J Connington died on the 1st July 1947.