Ronald M. James

Ronald M James (Nevada Writers Hall of Fame, 2014) is a folklorist and historian. 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 or co-author of eighteen books and has written over five dozen articles for popular and academic journals, appearing in seven countries. The History of Cornish Tradition: A Folkloric Journey will appear later in 2026.

James was the last student of noted Swedish folklorist, Sven S. Liljeblad, who worked with Carl Wilhelm von Sydow. James has degrees in anthropology and history from the University of Nevada, Reno. He was the IT&T 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 immigration and folklore.