Ronald M. James

Ronald M James, an inductee into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame (2014), is a folklorist and historian with additional publications in architectural history and archaeology. He was a long-time state historic preservation officer and was appointed to the Advisory Board for the National Park System and chair of the National Historic Landmarks Committee. James is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of fifteen books, and he has authored over four dozen articles in popular and academic journals, appearing in seven countries. Monumental Lies: Early Nevada Folklore of the Wild West will be released in autumn 2023.

James was the last student of noted Swedish folklorist, Sven S. Liljeblad (1899-2000), who worked with Carl Wilhelm von Sydow. James has degrees in anthropology and history from the University of Nevada, Reno. He was the International Telephone and Telegraph Fellow to Ireland, 1981-1982, studying at the Department of Irish Folklore at University College, Dublin. In 2016, James was elected as a Bard on the Gorsedh Kernow, the Bardic Council of Cornwall, in recognition of his work on Cornish immigration and folklore.