John Alec Baker (6 August 1926 – 26 December 1987) was an English author, best known for The Peregrine, which won the Duff Cooper Prize in 1967.

John A. Baker lived with his wife in Essex. He had assorted jobs, including chopping down trees and pushing book trolleys in the British Museum. In 1965, he gave up work and lived on his savings, devoting all his time to his obsession—the peregrine. He re-wrote his account of this bird five times before submitting it for publication. Although he had no ornithological training and had never written a book before, when The Peregrine was published in 1967, it was received with enthusiastic reviews and praise for his lyrical prose. Later that year, he was awarded the distinguished Duff Cooper Prize and a substantial Arts Council grant.

His second book, The Hill of Summer, was published in 1969.