Special Guest of Honour *
JAMES HERBERT created the modern mass-market horror genre with the publication of his first
ground-breaking novel, The Rats, in 1974 (for the record, Stephen King's Carrie
was published a few months later). Since then he has reigned as Britain's undisputed #1
author of chiller fiction, with more than 20 novels to his credit—which have
sold more than fifty million copies world-wide.
Jim was born on April 8, 1943, in the East End of London, the son of street traders. His family lived at the back of Petticoat Lane in Whitechapel—once the stalking ground of Jack the Ripper. Age ten, he passed the 11+ exam and won a scholarship to St. Aloysius Grammar School in Highgate. At sixteen he went to the famous Hornsey College of Art, where he studied graphic design. This led to him joining a leading London advertising agency, where he worked his way up to the position of Group Head/Associate Director.
Feeling there was more he could do, at the age of 28 he started secretly writing a novel. Ten months later he had completed The Rats—inspired by his childhood upbringing and depicting a London overrun by monstrous, flesh-eating rats of unknown origin. He submitted the manuscript to six publishers on the same day. Within three weeks he had received three replies. Two publishers turned the novel down, while the other enthusiastically accepted it.
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New English Library published The Rats in 1974 with a first printing of 100,000 paperback copies. Within weeks that first printing was completely sold out. The book has never been out of print since, and Jim has steadily built up a list of best-selling titles that includes The Fog, The Survivor, Fluke, The Spear, Lair, The Dark, The Jonah, Shrine, Domain, Moon, The Magic Cottage, Sepulchre, Creed, Portent, '48, Others, Once, Nobody True and The Secret of Crickley Hall (which has recently been optioned by the BBC).
Illustrated by Ian Miller, The City is a graphic novel in The Rats
sequence set a post-holocaust future, while James Herbert's Dark Places: Locations
and Legends is a collaboration with photographer Paul Barkshire.
His next novel is Ash, the third in the trilogy featuring psychic investigator David Ash, which began with Haunted and The Ghosts of Sleath.
The Rats (aka Deadly Eyes), The Survivor, Fluke and Haunted have all been made into movies, the latter starring Aidan Quinn, Kate Beckinsale and Sir John Gielgud.
One of the world's most popular novelists, with books translated into more than thirty-five languages, including Russian and Chinese, James Herbert's work remains widely imitated and hugely influential.
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In his 1992 Introduction to the bio-bibliography James Herbert: By Horror Haunted, Stephen King wondered "with real excitement" what James Herbert might be up to in the year 2010. Well, now we know—he'll be at World Horror Convention in Brighton!
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* Please note that James Herbert's participation at the convention will be limited due to other commitments. However, he will appear on programming and will have his own, exclusive, signing session on the Saturday.
External Links
James Herbert's Website
www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/james-herbert/