Ruth Goodman is an English Historical Interpreter and writer who specialises in social history and the history of domestic life. She has written several books on the subject, including How to Be a Victorian, How to Be a Tudor, and A Timeline of Britain. Goodman was born in London and raised in South Wales. She studied history at the University of Sussex and the University of Leicester. After graduation, she worked as an archaeological illustrator and then as an archaeologist. She later became interested in living history and began working as an historical interpreter. In 2006, Goodman wrote her first book, How to Be a Victorian, which was based on her experience of living and working as a Victorian reenactor. The book was a bestseller and was followed by How to Be a Tudor in 2014. Goodman's most recent book, A Timeline of Britain, was published in 2016. Goodman is a popular public speaker and gives talks and workshops on various aspects of British social history. She has also appeared on several television programmes, including Who Do You Think You Are? and Time Team.