Ronald M. James

Ronald M. James
Born1955 (age 70–71)
Reno, Nevada
Spouse
Susan
​
(m. 1984)​
Children1
Academic background
Education
Academic work
DisciplineFolklorist and historian
Institutions

Ronald M. James (born 1955) is an American folklorist and historian from Reno, Nevada. He lectured on history and folklore at the University of Nevada, Reno from 1979 until 2011, and was head of the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office from 1983 until 2012. James has published numerous books and articles on history and folklore.

Early life and education

Ronald M. James was born at St. Mary's Hospital in Reno, Nevada,[1] in 1955.[2] His father, who was a police officer, died when James was a child. He played in the rock band Jericho while attending Reno High School.[1]

James attended the University of Nevada, Reno where he obtained a dual bachelor's degree in anthropology and history in 1978,[3] with minors in English and psychology. While at the university, he was mentored by Swedish folklorist Sven S. Liljeblad. James later called Liljeblad "one of the last great folklorists".[1] In 1981, James received a Master of Arts degree in medieval history from University of Nevada, Reno.[3]

He subsequently studied at the Irish Department of Folklore at University College, Dublin,[3] and was an I.T.T fellow studying folklore from 1981 until 1982.[4] While studying in Dublin, he taught himself the local brogue because he felt that his American accent separated him from the locals. In 1984, he married Susan, with whom he has a son named Reed.[1]

Career

James lectured on history, historic preservation, and folklore at University of Nevada, Reno from 1979 to 2011.[5] He was the head of the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office from 1983 until 2012.[2] In 1991, he organized the Commission for Cultural Affairs, overseeing the restoration of historic buildings for use as cultural centers.[6] Between 2004 and 2013, James was chairman of the National Historic Landmarks Committee.[7] He was appointed to the National Park System Advisory Board as historian and folklorist in 2010.[6] He was also executive director of the Comstock Foundation for History and Culture from 2013 until 2015.[3]

James has written or co-written 18 books,[4] about the architectural history of Nevada, the history of Virginia City, and European and American folklore.[7] He authored over 100 entries in the Online Nevada Encyclopedia and was a board member and manuscript referee for the The Western Historical Quarterly.[3] He published The Roar and the Silence: A History of Virginia City and the Comstock Lode in 1998.[2] In 2012, he wrote Virginia City: Secrets of a Western Past.[8] In 2014, he published A Short History of Virginia City with Susan A. James.[9] James is also a contributor to R/AskHistorians.[10]

The Folklore of Cornwall

He wrote the The Folklore of Cornwall: The Oral Tradition of a Celtic Nation in 2018.[11] The book is a study of 19th century Cornish folklore, focusing on both its unique features and its interconnections with other cultures.[12] Elissa Henken, in the Journal of Folklore Research Reviews, called it "a gift to Cornish studies, an easy-to-read, scholarly work, which provides historic and theoretic perspective along with its valuable body of cultural information."[13] Writing for the The Irish Times, Seaghan Mac an tSionnaigh called it "an apt introduction both to Cornwall and to folklore".[14] The book was a finalist for The Folklore Society's 2019 Katharine Briggs Award.[15]

Monumental Lies

In 2023, James published Monumental Lies: Early Nevada Folklore of the Wild West.[16] He credited his college mentor Sven S. Liljeblad with influencing the book.[5] Mark Maynard of the Nevada Historical Society praised the book, writing that "The hard work the author has done to find, categorize, and make sense of these localized stories is too important to be ignored."[17]

Legacy

James was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame in 2014,[3] and he received the 2015 Rodman Paul Award from the Mining History Association.[18] In 2016, he was elected a bard of the Gorsedh Kernow,[19] for his contributions to the study of Cornish folklore and immigration.[2]

The "Ronald M. James Papers" in the special collections department of the University of Nevada, Reno contains research materials from five books written by James between 1992 and 2019. These books largely deal with Nevada history, including the history of the Comstock Lode.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 ncs-import. "History a passion for Ron James, native Nevadan". www.nevadaappeal.com. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 james, ronald m. "Ronald M James - University of Nevada, Reno". nevada-reno.academia.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ronald James | University Libraries". University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  4. 1 2 "Ronald M. James". University of Exeter Press. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  5. 1 2 Reports, Staff. "Tall tales explored by Nevada author and former Nevada Historic Preservation Officer". www.recordcourier.com. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
  6. 1 2 ThisIsReno (2010-04-21). "Nevadan Appointed to National Park System Advisory Board". This Is Reno. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
  7. 1 2 3 "Collection: Ronald M. James Papers | University Libraries Archival Guides". archive.library.unr.edu. Archived from the original on 2022-10-02. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
  8. ↑ Schablitsky, Julie M. (2013-05-01). "Review: Virginia City: Secrets of a Western Past , by Ronald M. James". Pacific Historical Review. 82 (2): 322–323. doi:10.1525/phr.2013.82.2.322. ISSN 0030-8684.
  9. ↑ Green, Michael S. (2016-02-01). "Review: A Short History of Virginia City by Ronald M. James and Susan A. James". Pacific Historical Review. 85 (1): 152–153. doi:10.1525/phr.2016.85.1.152. ISSN 0030-8684.
  10. ↑ "Itsallfolklore". www.reddit.com. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  11. ↑ Orchard, William (2021-07-03). "The Folklore of Cornwall: The Oral Tradition of a Celtic Nation: By Ronald M. James. Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2018. 240 pp. Illus. £45.00 (hbk/ebook). ISBN 978-0-85989-470-8 (hbk), ISBN 978-0-85989-999-9 (ebook)". Folklore. 132 (3): 333–334. doi:10.1080/0015587X.2021.1923961. ISSN 0015-587X.
  12. ↑ Daly, Jack (2021). "Review of The Folklore of Cornwall: The Oral Tradition of a Celtic Nation". Western Folklore. 80 (2): 239–241. ISSN 0043-373X.
  13. ↑ Henken, Elissa R. (2020-03-13). "Elissa R. Henken - Review of Ronald M. James, The Folklore of Cornwall: The Oral Tradition of a Celtic Nation". Journal of Folklore Research Reviews. ISSN 2832-8132.
  14. ↑ tSionnaigh, Seaghan Mac an. "Folklore of Cornwall by Ronald James: a Celtic nation with links to many cultures". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  15. ↑ "The Folklore Society blog : Katharine Briggs Award 2019--Short List". www.folklore-society.com. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  16. ↑ Staff (2023-09-21). "'Monumental Lies': Historian Ronald M. James explores the evolution of early Silver State folklore". Reno News & Review. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  17. ↑ "Monumental Lies: Early Nevada Folklore of the Wild West by Ronald M. James (review)". Nevada Historical Society Q. 67 (1): 46–47. 2024. doi:10.1353/nhs.2024.a926124. ISSN 2992-930X.
  18. ↑ "Mining History Association Awards". www.mininghistoryassociation.org. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
  19. ↑ "Ronald M. James – #FolkloreThursday". Retrieved 2023-02-28.
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