Born on Long Island on November 1st, Hilary Knight grew up in Roslyn and on West 11th Street in New York. His parents, Clayton Knight and Katharine Sturges, were artists and writers, so Knight's choice of careers was not unexpected. He studied at the Art Students League under Reginald Marsh. He is most well-known for his illustrations for the Eloise books, the first of which came out in 1955. Ivan Trump asked him to decorate a children's suite at the Plaza Hotel in New York, the hotel which Eloise made famous. Visitors to New York can view Knight's full-sized painting in the Hotel's lobby. He has illustrated many other books, some of which he has written as well. His newest book is A Christmas Stocking Story.