Francis Skinner was born in 1912 in
Kensington, London, England. Skinner was educated at
St Paul's School in London. He studied the
Mathematics Tripos at
Trinity College, Cambridge, following in the footsteps of his older sister Priscilla, herself a talented mathematician and an undergraduate at
Newnham College. in 1930, Skinner, then a student, met Wittgenstein, fell under his influence and "became utterly, uncritically, and almost obsessively devoted" to him. Their relationship was seen by others as being characterized by Skinner's eagerness to please Wittgenstein and conform to his opinions. Skinner graduated with a
first-class degree in mathematics from Cambridge in 1933 and was awarded a postgraduate fellowship. While it has been assumed that Skinner was merely a student taking dictation, the discovery of the original archives indicates that Skinner played a significant role in shaping and editing the work. In 1934, the two made plans to emigrate to the
Soviet Union and become manual labourers, but Wittgenstein visited the country briefly and realised the plan was not feasible; the Soviet Union might have allowed Wittgenstein to immigrate as a teacher, but not as a manual labourer. Around 1933–1934 Wittgenstein dictated to Skinner what has since been given the name the
Pink Book. During the academic year 1934–1935, Wittgenstein dictated to Skinner and Alice Ambrose the text of the
Brown Book. Wittgenstein's hostility toward academia resulted in Skinner's withdrawal from university, first to become a gardener, and later a mechanic (much to the dismay of Skinner's family). Meanwhile, his sister Priscilla continued her mathematical career, winning a Fellowship and, during the Second World War, working as a mathematician at the
Royal Aircraft Establishment. (Priscilla's daughter is chemist
Ruth Lynden-Bell) He attempted to join the
International Brigade during the
Spanish Civil War but was rejected on medical grounds. As a teenager he had
osteomyelitis which resulted in a limp in one of his legs. In the late 1930s, Wittgenstein grew increasingly distant from Skinner. Skinner died from
polio, following an air raid in Cambridge in October 1941, having been neglected during the rush to treat victims of the bombing. Despite the weakening of their relationship, Wittgenstein was apparently traumatised by Skinner's death, resulting in the loss for 7 years of the work they were engaged in together, the 'Pink Book'. == Pink Book ==