Barry Miles

Born in Cheltenham in 1943, Barry attended Cirencester Grammar School before studying at the Gloucestershire College of Art, a predecessor college of the University of Gloucestershire.

Planning to be an art teacher, but instead of teaching he found a job in a bookshop, becoming the manager of Better Books, importing poetry magazines from overseas and organising readings, film shows and more. In 1965 Allen Ginsberg stayed with him and this saw the beginnings of the Royal Albert Hall Poetry Festival, organised from Better Books.

In the same year he founded Lovebooks Ltd, a company called MAD with Peter Asher and John Dunbar, and also opened Indica Books and Gallery.

Now a best-selling author, these include the official biography of Paul McCartney, along with biographies of Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski and Allen Ginsberg. He is also well known for chronicling counter cultures and the beat generation with books such as London Calling and The Beat Hotel.