James De Mille


James De Mille was a professor at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, and an early Canadian novelist who published numerous works of popular fiction from the late 1860s through the 1870s.

Life

De Mille was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, son of the merchant and shipowner, Nathan De Mille. He attended Horton Academy in Wolfville and spent one year at Acadia University. He then travelled with his brother Elisha Budd to Europe, spending half a year in England, France and Italy. Soon after his return to North America, he attended Brown University, from which he obtained a Master of Arts degree during 1854. He married Anne Pryor, daughter of the president of Acadia University, John Pryor, and was there appointed professor of classics. He served there until 1865 when he accepted a new appointment at Dalhousie as professor of English and rhetoric. He continued to write and teach at Dalhousie until his early death at the age of 46.

Works

His most popular work with contemporaries, and the work for which he is most known presently, is A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder, which was serialized posthumously in the magazine Harper's Weekly, and published in book form by Harper and Brothers of New York City, during 1888.
Other works included the 1867 historical novel Helena's Household: A Tale of Rome in the First Century, and the following:
The B.O.W.C. Club series:
Nonfiction:
Many of DeMille's books were originally published in serial form in such periodicals as Harper's Weekly.