Deborah Harkness (born 1965) is an American scholar and novelist, best known as an historian and as the author of the All Souls Trilogy, which consists of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' best-selling novel ''

A Discovery of Witches ''A Discovery of Witches'' is a 2011 historical-fantasy novel and the debut novel by American scholar Deborah Harkness. It follows Diana Bishop, a history of science professor at Yale University, as she embraces her magical blood after finding ...

'' and its sequels ''

Shadow of Night ''Shadow of Night'' is a 2012 historical-fantasy novel by American scholar Deborah Harkness, the second book in the ''All Souls'' trilogy. As the sequel to the 2011 bestseller, '' A Discovery of Witches'', it follows the story of Diana Bishop, a ...

'' and '' The Book of Life''. Her latest book is '' Time's Convert'', both an origin story of the trilogy’s Marcus Whitmore character, set in the American War of Independence and the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, and a sequel to the All Souls Trilogy.

Early life

Born in 1965, Harkness grew up near

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, the daughter of an American-born father and a British-born mother. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College (B.A., 1986),

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

(M.A., 1990), and the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The inst ...

(Ph.D., 1994). Harkness also studied abroad at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

. She is a well-regarded historian of science and medicine, as well as having studied alchemy, magic and the occult.

Career

Harkness is a professor of history and teaches European history and the history of science at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

. She has published two works of

historical non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...

, ''John Dee's Conversations with Angels: Cabala, Alchemy and the End of Nature'' (1999) and ''The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution'' (2007). In 2011, Harkness published her first work of fiction, ''

''. The first novel in the ''All Souls'' trilogy, ''A Discovery of Witches'' is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of a modern-day witch who inadvertently calls up an ancient enchanted manuscript at Oxford University's Bodleian Library thereby attracting the unwelcome notice of a host of magical creatures who live among humans, including other witches, daemons, and a 1,500-year-old French vampire. The novel debuted at number two on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller hardcover fiction list, and has been sold in at least 34 countries. The book was called "a sophisticated fairy tale for adults" by the '' San Antonio Express-News''. The second novel in the series, ''

'', was published a year later, becoming a number one success on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. The third novel in the series is called '' The Book of Life''. The book was published on July 15, 2014 in hardback, e-book, and audiobook in the US, UK, Canada, and Ireland. Deborah_Harkness,_2014

On January 9, 2014, the United States front cover and a two-page excerpt were released to the public on USA Today. On May 12, 2014, chapter 1 was released on Harkness' website. Harkness is also the author of the award-winning wine blog, ''Good Wine Under $20''. Harkness released a companion book in May 2018 entitled ''The World of All Souls: The Complete Guide to A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy)'', followed in September 2018 by an ''All Souls'' series trilogy prequel/sequel entitled ''Time's Convert''. The book features Marcus Whitmore, Matthew Clairmont's vampire son. Harkness is an executive producer of BadWolf's eight episode television series based on Harkness' novel, ''

.'' The series premiered in the UK on Sky One on September 14, 2018 and is now streaming on NOW TV. The international distribution of the series is handled by

Sky Vision Sky Vision was a production and distribution company founded by Sky in 2002 as Parthenon Media Group and was acquired and rebranded by Sky as Sky Vision. The business had investments in nine production businesses in the UK and US: Love Productio ...

. It was revealed by Sky One on All Souls Day (November 2) 2018 that the TV series would be extended by seasons 2 and 3, corresponding to the ''

'' sequels ''

'' and '' The Book of Life''. Season 2 (10 episodes) was released in early 2021, and season 3 ( 7 episodes) in early 2022.

Personal life

Harkness currently lives in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

where she is a professor of history.

Bibliography

Novels

''All Souls''

# # # # * *Many of the events in ''Times Convert'' take place in the present-day, however a portion of them take place prior to the events of ''A Discovery of Witches''. In other words, ''Times Convert'' acts as a sequel to the trilogy while also containing a prequel component.

Companions

*''The All Souls Real-Time Reading Companion'' (2015) *''The World of All Souls: A Complete Guide to A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and the Book of Life'' (2018)

Books

* * (see also

The Jewel House ''The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution'' is a history of 16th-century London by American scholar Deborah Harkness. It explores the alchemical community of London in the 16th century, focusing on key figures from the t ...

)

Journal articles

Awards

* Comic-Con International's Inkpot Award for (2018) * Honorary Degree, Mount Holyoke College (2014) Harkness' faculty profile on the University of Southern California's website also lists the following honors and awards: * Highly Commended, Longman-History Today Awards Book Prize, Spring 2009 * Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline,

Pfizer Award The Pfizer Award is awarded annually by the History of Science Society "in recognition of an outstanding book dealing with the history of science" Recipients * 1959 Marie Boas Hall, ''Robert Boyle and Seventeenth-Century Chemistry'' (New Yor ...

for Best Book in the History of Science, History of Science Society, Fall 2008 * Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, John Best Snow Prize for Best Book in British Studies, North American Conference on British Studies, Fall 2008 * Prize for Best Book, Pacific Coast Conference on British Studies, Spring 2008 * Huntington Library Research Fellowship Recipient,

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

Fellow, 2006–2007 * Guggenheim Fellowship Recipient, John S. Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, 2004–2005 * Residency at the

National Humanities Center The National Humanities Center (NHC) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities. The NHC operates as a privately incorporated nonprofit and is not part of any university or federal agency. The center was planned under the auspi ...

, National Humanities Center, John E. Sawyer Fellow, 2004–2005 * NIH/NSF Career Development Award, National Science Foundation Senior Scholar's Award, 2001–2002 * Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, Derek Price Award for Best Article,

History of Science Society The History of Science Society (HSS) is the primary professional society for the academic study of the history of science. It was founded in 1924 by George Sarton, David Eugene Smith, and Lawrence Joseph Henderson, primarily to support the publi ...

, 1998 * American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship Recipient, ACLS Fellowship, 1997–1998 *

Huntington Library The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and Arabella Huntington (c.1851–1924) in San Ma ...

Research Fellowship Recipient, NEH Fellowship, Huntington Library, 1997–1998 * Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, Nelson Prize for Best Article,

Renaissance Society of America The Renaissance Society of America (RSA) is an academic association founded in 1954 supporting the study of the Renaissance period, 1300–1650. The RSA brings together scholars from many backgrounds in a wide variety of disciplines from North A ...

, 1997 * Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, U.S. Department of Education, 1989–1993 * Fulbright Award,

Fulbright Fellowship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

to the United Kingdom, 1991–1992

Notes

External links

*
Deborah Harkness official Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harkness, Deborah 1965 births 21st-century American novelists American medical historians American women novelists American historians of science Living people American women historians Women science writers 21st-century American women writers University of California, Davis alumni 21st-century American non-fiction writers Mount Holyoke College alumni