Barbara Noble was born in 1907. The author of six novels, she was also head of the UK office of Doubleday Books and responsible for the publication of thousands of further works by other writers.

Born in London, Barbara Noble was educated at home by her mother. Her first novel, The Years that Take the Best Away, was published to acclaim when she was only 22. After moving to London, and continuing to write and publish novels, she took a job with 20th Century Fox, eventually becoming story editor, buying and negotiating film rights for production.

In 1953 she became the UK editor for Doubleday, a job she held for 20 years. In this rôle, she published works by Margery Allingham, Daphne du Maurier, Olivia Manning and Ruth Rendell, among many others.

After retirement, Barbara Noble continued to work as an editor on a part-time basis into her eighties. She died in 2001.