Introducing Linguistics: A Graphic Guide About the Author R.L. Trask was a professor of Linguistics at the University of Sussex. A hugely acclaimed specialist in historical linguistics, his work on the Basque language made him among the world's foremost authorities on the subject. He died in 2004. Bill Mayblin trained as a graphic designer at the Royal College of Art in London. He is also the illustrator for Introducing Logic, Derrida and Empiricism.