Who is Brian?

Anyone who has bought a book from Aurelia and Black will have encountered the name Brian Micklethwait, who is contribution is often acknowledged in the end pages. Who was this man?

Brian was, above all, a friend and mentor to me. He was an exemplar of the spirit of intellectual exploration, of engaging with anyone and everyone as he finds them and of supporting them on their journey, wherever it leads.

Brian was born to an upper class family. His mother helped shape how babies are born in the United Kingdom, empowering and giving choices to parents in an era when doctors had begun to organise child-birth for their own convenience. His father was a senior legal professional - a Queens Council - assigned to legal cases of national importance.

He was brought up expecting to be a part of the way things were run. He spent his lifetime working out that the way things should be run is by the people involved in them. He was a rebel, a free spirit and a deeply intellectual man.

His lifestyle was simple, he surrounded himself in music, books and people, helping to shape a community of like-minded souls of which I had the privilege to be a small part.

He died in October 2021 of lung cancer and part of his extensive legacy helped to found this bookshop.

Rest in Peace, Brian Micklethwait.

If you would like to learn more about Brian, you can read his life's work on a range of topics at the Brian Micklethwait Archive.