author
James Richard Joy
1863–1957
A Methodist editor and popular historian, he wrote lively books on English, Roman, and church history for general readers. His work moved easily between biography, education, and religious publishing, reflecting a lifelong interest in making the past readable.
1 Audiobook
Ten Englishmen of the Nineteenth Century
by James Richard Joy
About the author
Born in 1863, James Richard Joy was an American editor, librarian, and author whose books ranged across history, religion, and education. Records of his work show a long publishing career that included titles such as Rome and the Making of Modern Europe, Twenty Centuries of English History, Ten Englishmen of the Nineteenth Century, and books on John Wesley and Methodism.
Joy was closely connected with Methodist publishing. Reliable references identify him as editor of the New York Christian Advocate, and archival material preserves his correspondence and reports on Methodist affairs in Russia after the 1917 Revolution. He also edited The Teachers of Drew, 1867–1942, a commemorative history tied to Drew Theological Seminary.
He died in 1957. Although he is not widely known today, surviving catalogs and library records show a writer who spent decades interpreting history and church life for ordinary readers rather than specialists.