James Herbert

Biography:

He was a horror author from England. He developed his own book covers and advertising as well as being a full-time writer. His novels have been translated into 34 languages, including Chinese and Russian, and have sold 54 million copies worldwide.

Herbert was born in London, the son of Herbert Herbert, a Brick Lane Market stallholder. He went to Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School in Bethnal Green before winning a scholarship to St Aloysius Grammar School in Highgate at the age of 11. At the age of 15, he dropped out of school and went to Hornsey College of Art, where he worked in the art department of John Collings, a small advertising firm. He left the firm to work as an art director and later group leader for Charles Barker Advertising.

Herbert resided in Woodmancote, West Sussex, near Henfield. Peter, a retired market trader, and John, an insurance broker, were his two brothers. On "giant pads," Herbert would scribble his drafts in longhand. In 1979, it was determined that portions of Herbert's novel The Spear was based on the work of another author, Trevor Ravenscroft's The Spear of Destiny. Herbert received the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award in 2010, which was handed to him by Stephen King. Later that year, in the 2010 Birthday Honors, delivered by Prince Charles, he was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Herbert died suddenly on March 20, 2013, at the age of 69, at his home in Sussex. No cause of death was disclosed, although a publishing spokesperson claimed he had not been unwell. His wife, Eileen, and three kids survive him. His estate was estimated to be worth £8.3 million.

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