Simon J. James (1971-2025) was an English academic and specialist in late Victorian and Edwardian fiction, especially

George Gissing George Robert Gissing ( ; 22 November 1857 – 28 December 1903) was an English novelist, who published 23 novels between 1880 and 1903. In the 1890s he was considered one of the three greatest novelists in England, and by the 1940s he had been ...

and

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

. Professor of English Literature at

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

, he served as the Head of the Department of English Studies (2015-2018). Between 2009 and 2015, he was the editor of '' The Wellsian'', the journal of the H. G. Wells Society. As well as publishing a book on George Gissing and writing many academic articles, he has also edited four H. G. Wells novels for

Penguin Classics Penguin Classics is an imprint (trade name), imprint of Penguin Books under which classic works of literature are published in English language, English, Spanish language, Spanish, Portuguese language, Portuguese, and Korean language, Korean amon ...

(''

The History of Mr Polly ''The History of Mr. Polly'' is a 1910 comic novel by H. G. Wells. Plot summary The protagonist of ''The History of Mr. Polly'' is an antihero inspired by H. G. Wells's early experiences in the drapery trade: Alfred Polly, born circa 1 ...

'', ''

Kipps ''Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul'' is a novel by H. G. Wells, first published in 1905. It was reportedly Wells's own favourite among his works, and it has been adapted for stage, cinema and television productions, including the musical '' ...

'', ''

Love and Mr Lewisham ''Love and Mr Lewisham'' (subtitled "The Story of a Very Young Couple") is a 1900 novel set in the 1880s by H. G. Wells. It was among his first fictional writings outside the science fiction genre. Wells took considerable pains over the manuscr ...

'' and ''

The New Machiavelli ''The New Machiavelli'' is a 1911 novel by H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction ...

'') and has written articles for the ''

Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'' and the '' Oxford Companion to English Literature''.

Published works

*''Unsettled Accounts: Money and Narrative in the Novels of George Gissing'' (London: Anthem Press, 2003, ) *''Maps of Utopia: H. G. Wells, Modernity and the End of Culture'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012, )

References

External links

Durham University repository profile
* Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Academics of Durham University {{UK-academic-stub