Richard Barber

Richard Barber has been writing and publishing in the field of medieval history and literature ever since his student days. His first and most recent books both concern the Arthurian legend; he started with a general survey, Arthur of Albion, in 1961, which is still in print in a revised edition; his second book, Henry Plantagenet (1964) has just been reissued in paperback. He has also written on chivalry, and won the Somerset Maugham award in 1970 for The Knight and Chivalry. Other books include the standard biography of Edward the Black Prince, Edward Prince of Wales and Aquitaine, The Penguin Guide to Medieval Europe, an edition of John Aubrey’s Brief Lives, and anthologies of medieval literature (Myths and Legends of the British Isles, Legends of Arthur).

Richard Barber has also been a successful publisher. In 1969 he helped to found The Boydell Press, which later became Boydell & Brewer Ltd, one of the leading publishers in medieval studies, and he has been managing director since the outset. In 1989, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, in association with the University of Rochester, started the University of Rochester Press in upstate New York. The group currently publishes over 200 titles a year.