John Burland Harris-Burland was a British author notable for his contributions to early fantasy literature. Born in 1870 in Aldershot, Hampshire, he was the son of Major General William Burland Harris-Burland, an officer in the Crimean War, and Eleanor Harding Bennitt.

 

Harris-Burland attended Sherborne School from 1884 to 1888, where he excelled in Latin and mathematics. Despite his initial intention to pursue a military career, poor health forced him to reconsider, leading him instead to theological studies. He attended Exeter College, Oxford, where he won the Newdigate Prize for English Verse in 1893 for his poem ‘Amy Robsart’.

 

After completing his studies at Oxford, Harris-Burland briefly pursued a career in the theatre before transitioning to a role as a secretary of public companies. His financial experiences later influenced his writing, particularly in his novel The Financier.

 

He began his literary career in the early 1900s, with his first novel, Dacobra, or The White Priests of Ahriman (1903), marking his entry into the science fiction and fantasy genres. He quickly gained recognition for his imaginative storytelling, particularly in works such as The Princess Thora (1904) and The Black Motor Car (1905). His stories often blended elements of the supernatural with emerging technologies.

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Harris-Burland married Florence Caroline Gough in 1906, and they lived in Pevensey, Sussex, until his death in 1926, at the age of 55.