Brian Kemp is a Professor of History at Reading University, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He read history at Reading University and, in 1966 was awarded his PhD for a thesis on the history of Reading Abbey. His interest in monuments began in his teens with the hobby of brass-rubbing, from which, realising that brasses were one type of church monument, he soon widened his interests to include all forms of monuments. He is deeply committed to the proper conservation of monuments and to enlarging public awareness of their importance.