Richard B. (Richard Briscoe) Cook

Richard Briscoe Cook (1838–1916) was a British author and clergyman who published widely on religion, history, and biography. The clearest summary available identifies him as a Doctor of Divinity and notes that he is especially remembered for The Grand Old Man, his book on William Ewart Gladstone.

His surviving bibliography shows a steady interest in Protestant and Baptist subjects. Works associated with him include The Story of the Baptists in All Ages and Countries, The Early and Later Delaware Baptists, a life of Dwight L. Moody, and a volume drawn from the writings of Charles H. Spurgeon. Taken together, these titles suggest a writer who aimed to inform general readers while also preserving the stories of major religious movements and personalities.

Although only a small amount of biographical detail is easy to confirm, his books show the range of his interests: from church history to popular lives of political and religious leaders. For modern readers, he stands out as a representative of the late 19th-century tradition of accessible, morally serious nonfiction.