Norman F. Cantor (1929–2004)

Norman Frank Cantor was a historian who specialized in the medieval period. He received his bachelor's degree at the University of Manitoba and his master's degree from Princeton. He spent a year at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and then earned his doctorate from Princeton in 1957. After teaching at Princeton, Prof. Cantor moved to Columbia University from 1960 to 1966; Brandeis University until 1970; SUNY Binghamton until 1976; and the University of Illinois at Chicago for two years. He went on to New York University, where he was professor of history, sociology and comparative literature. After a brief stint as Fulbright Professor at Tel Aviv University, he began to devote himself writing full-time. Although his early work focused more narrowly on English religious and intellectual history, Prof. Cantor's later scholarly interests were far more diverse, and he found success writing for a popular audience on the broader contours of Western history. His books were often bestsellers thanks to his lively writing style and engaging narratives.