Richard Phillips (December 13, 1767 - April 2, 1840) was an English author, publisher, and schoolteacher. Born in London, Phillips was a schoolteacher and bookseller in Leicester for a time before returning to London due to some 'political difficulties'. There, he established a business on Paternoster Row and founded The Monthly Magazine in 1796. In 1807 he served as Sheriff of London, at which time he was knighted. Phillips overextended his finances and declared bankruptcy during the Bank Panic of 1837. He died in Brighton.