James Boyce

James Boyce is the author of Born Bad: Original Sin and the Making of the Western World (2014),1835: The Founding of Melbourne and the Conquest of Australia (2011) and Van Diemen's Land: A History (2008). Van Diemen’s Land, won the Tasmania Book Prize and the Colin Roderick Award and was shortlisted for the NSW, Victorian and Queensland premiers’ literary awards, as well as the Prime Minister’s award.

Tim Flannery described it as “a brilliant book and a must-read for anyone interested in how land shapes people.” 1835, won the Age Book of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Award, the Western Australian Premier's Book Award, the Adelaide Festival Award for Literature and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award.

The Sunday Age described it as "A first-class piece of historical writing." James Boyce wrote the Tasmania chapter for First Australians, the companion book to the acclaimed SBS TV series. He has a PhD from the University of Tasmania, where he is an honorary research associate of the School of Geography and Environmental Studies.

He is a former child protection social worker.