Sir Barry Cunliffe taught archaeology in the Universities of Bristol and Southampton and was Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford from 1972 to 2008, thereafter becoming Emeritus Professor. He has excavated widely in Britain (Fishbourne, Bath, Danebury, Hengistbury Head, Brading) and in the Channel Islands, Brittany, and Spain, and has been President of the Council for British Archaeology and of the Society of Antiquaries, Governor of the Museum of London, and a Trustee of the British Museum. He was a Commissioner of English Heritage from 2005 to 2013. His many publications include The Ancient Celts (1997, second edition 2018), Facing the Ocean (2001), The Druids: A Very Short Introduction (2010), Britain Begins (2012), By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean (2015), and The Scythians (2019) all also published by Oxford University Press. He received a knighthood in 2006.

"Bretons and Britons is a well-made, visually rich book about Breton identity over the longue durée, as well as Brittany's relationship with the British Isles." -- Myrzinn Boucher-Durand, North American Journal of Celtic Studies

"This reviewer is filled with admiration for the clarity and vigour of Bretons and Britons ... Professor Cunliffe has written a masterpiece and his publishers must be thanked for making available such an elegant, beautifully illustrated hardback volume." -- Hugh Clout, Cercles

"a well-made, visually rich book about Breton identity" -- Myrzinn Boucher-Durand, North American journal of Celtic Studies

"For the past quarter century the master of Celtic ceremonies has been Oxford's Barry Cunliffe ... But one group of Celts has enjoyed his special affection, the Bretons of France's western extremity, Brittany, or Finistäe, the end of the earth. He has now written their definitive biography." -- Simon Jenkins, Times Literary Supplement

"[Cunliffe's] book is a very effective history of [the Brittany] region of northwestern France, but it is also a history of the links between the British Isles and the Breton people, going back to prehistoric times." -- Simon Heffer, Literary Review

"[An] excellent book that tells the long story of cross-Channel connections from prehistory to the present." -- David Musgrove, BBC History Magazine

"Cunliffe remains the doyen of coastal archaeology ... Beautifully written, evocative, and perfectly pitched for general reader and specialist alike, this book demonstrates the true scope of Cunliffe's scholarship; few can traverse human history in this detail. This is a wonderful book." -- Rachel Pope, Current Archaeology

"Sir Barry Cunliffe is one of the few living authors capable of weaving a story that merges the grand scale of time and space ... Richly illustrated with colour illustrations and maps, this account will transport you." -- Neil Wilkin, British Museum Magazine

"A fascinating interdisciplinary study." -- D. M. Hall, Choice Reviews

"If you ever wondered why Brittany is called Brittany, or why King Arthur had a home in a mystical forest near Rennes, you'll find the answers here." -- Mark Brocklesby, Jersey Evening Post