James Herbert

James John Herbert, OBE (8 April 1943 – 20 March 2013) was a best-selling English horror writer who originally worked as the art director of an advertising agency. A full-time writer, he also designed his own book covers and publicity. His books have sold 54 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into 34 languages, including Chinese and Russian.

Biography

Born in London, Herbert was the son of Herbert Herbert, a stall-holder at London's Brick Lane Market. He attended a Catholic school in Bethnal Green called Our Lady of the Assumption, then aged 11 won a scholarship to St Aloysius Grammar School in Highgate. He left school at 15 and studied at Hornsey College of Art, joining the art department of John Collings, a small advertising agency. He left the agency to join Charles Barker Advertising where he worked as art director and then group head.

Herbert lived in Woodmancote, near Henfield in West Sussex,. He had two brothers: Peter, a retired market trader and John, an insurance broker. Herbert would write his drafts in longhand on "jumbo pads". In 1979 Herbert had to pay damages when it was ruled that he had based part of his novel “The Spear” on the work of another writer (The Spear of Destiny), Trevor Ravenscroft. In 2010 Herbert was honoured with the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award, presented to him by Stephen King. Later the same year he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours, presented by Prince Charles.

James Herbert (director)

James Herbert (born 1938) is an American painter and director most known for directing a series of classic music videos for the band R.E.M.. He has also made over forty short films, including John Five (1992) and Jumbo Aqua (2001), and directed four independent features: Scars (1997), Speedy Boys (1998), Rabbit Pix (2005) and Abandoned House (2007). Some of his short films have been collected on the video compilation Figures (1990).

Herbert was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He studied with the abstract expressionist painter Clyfford Still and the experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage. Herbert was R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe's art professor when he studied at the University of Georgia. Stipe greatly admired Herbert's films, and in addition to having him helm R.E.M.'s earliest music videos, he later cited Herbert as a significant influence on him individually and artistically.

Music video filmography

James Herbert (died 1677)

James Herbert (c. 1623 – April 1677) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1645 and 1677.

Herbert was the son of Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and his wife Susan de Vere, daughter of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. He matriculated at Jesus College, Cambridge on 15 June 1638, aged 15.

In May 1646, Herbert was elected Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in the Long Parliament. He sat until he was excluded under Pride's Purge in December 1648. He was awarded MA at Oxford on 12 April 1648.

In 1659, Herbert was elected MP for Queenborough in the Third Protectorate Parliament. He was re-elected MP for Queenborough in 1660 for the Convention Parliament and in 1661 for the Cavalier Parliament. He sat until his death in April 1677.

Herbert owned Tythrop House, Kingsey, Buckinghamshire He died at the age of 54.

Herbert married Jane Spiller daughter of Sir Robert Spiller of Laleham, Middlesex in 1645, when his father settled the manor of Milton Kent on him. His son James succeeded him His daughter Jane married Sir Walter Clarges, 1st Bt. and had issue.