The traditional answer is that the Book of Ruth is authored by the prophet Samuel, though the text itself does not name an author. This attribution appears in Jewish tradition and is echoed by several later Christian sources, but modern scholarship often treats Ruth as anonymous, with possible dating ranging from the period of the judges to the early monarchy. The book itself presents its narrative without identifying its writer, and internal clues (such as a genealogy leading to David) have been used to discuss possible timeframes and purposes for composition.