Richard Appignanesi was a Canadian writer and editor born in Montreal in 1940. He is best known for originating the For Beginners book series, an internationally successful line of illustrated introductions to various subjects. Appignanesi authored several texts in the series himself, helping establish it as a distinctive format for making complex topics accessible to general readers. Beyond the For Beginners series, Appignanesi was a founding publisher and editor of Icon Books, a publishing house that continued his work in making ideas and culture available to broad audiences. He also founded the Manga Shakespeare series, which adapted Shakespeare's plays into manga format, further demonstrating his commitment to innovative approaches to literary and educational content. Appignanesi held editorial positions across several publications and journals. He served as an executive editor of Third Text, a journal focused on cultural criticism, and as reviews editor of Futures, a policy studies journal. Through these roles and his publishing ventures, he made significant contributions to both popular education and academic discourse.