Deborah Harkness
Deborah Harkness (born 1965) is an American scholar and novelist, best known as a historian and as the author of the All Souls Trilogy, which consists of The New York Times best-selling novel A Discovery of Witches and its sequels Shadow of Night and The Book of Life. Her latest book is The Black Bird Oracle, a sequel to the All Souls Trilogy.
Deborah Harkness

Conrad Erb · Science History Institute · Science History Institute, Conrad Erb. · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Deborah Harkness
- Born
- 1965
- Birthplace
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
- Occupation
- Scholar, novelist
- Education
- Mount Holyoke College (BA) Northwestern University (MA) University of California, Davis (PhD)
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- history of science · history of medicine · modern period · Renaissance
- Known for
- A Discovery of Witches · Shadow of Night · The Book of Life
- Honours
- Guggenheim Fellowship · Pfizer Award · Inkpot Award
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Deborah Harkness (born 1965) is an American scholar and novelist, best known as a historian and as the author of the All Souls Trilogy, which consists of The New York Times best-selling novel A Discovery of Witches and its sequels Shadow of Night and The Book of Life. Her latest book is The Black Bird Oracle, a sequel to the All Souls Trilogy.
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Authority files
wikidata · Q2541295 · wikipedia · Deborah Harkness
In this article
Biography
Biography
Deborah Harkness studied at Mount Holyoke College, Northwestern University and University of California, Davis. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is history of science, history of medicine and modern period. Employment is recorded with University of California, Davis. Works named in the authority record are A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night and The Book of Life. Distinctions recorded are Guggenheim Fellowship, Pfizer Award and Inkpot Award.

Harkness at the 2018 U.S. National Book Festival
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Deborah Harkness • Born — 1965 • Birthplace — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. • Occupation — Scholar, novelist • Education — Mount Holyoke College (BA) Northwestern University (MA) University of California, Davis (PhD) • Genre — Fantasy, historical fiction • Notable Works — A Discovery of Witches Shadow of Night The Book of Life Time's Convert • Website — https: www.deborahharkness.com/
Early life
Early life
Born in 1965, Harkness grew up near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of an American-born father and a British-born mother. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College (B.A., 1986), Northwestern University (M.A., 1990), and the University of California, Davis (Ph.D., 1994). Harkness also studied in England at Oxford University. She is a well-regarded historian of science and medicine, as well as having taught courses about the history of magic and science.
Career
Career
Harkness is a professor of history and teaches European history and the history of science at the University of Southern California. She has published two works of historical non-fiction, John Dee's Conversations with Angels: Cabala, Alchemy and the End of Nature (1999) and The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution (2007). In 2011, Harkness published her first work of fiction, A Discovery of Witches. The first novel in the All Souls trilogy, A Discovery of Witches is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of a modern-day witch who inadvertently calls up an ancient enchanted manuscript at Oxford University's Bodleian Library thereby attracting the unwelcome notice of a host of magical creatures who live among humans, including other witches, daemons, and a 1,500-year-old French vampire. The novel debuted at number two on The New York Times Best Seller hardcover fiction list, and has been sold in at least 34 countries. The book was called "a sophisticated fairy tale for adults" by the San Antonio Express-News. The second novel in the series, Shadow of Night, was published a year later, becoming a number one success on The New York Times Best Seller list. The third novel in the series is called The Book of Life. The book was published on July 15, 2014, in hardback, e-book, and audiobook in the US, UK, Canada, and Ireland. • Illustration — Harkness at book signing, August 2014 On January 9, 2014, the United States front cover and a two-page excerpt were released to the public on USA Today. On May 12, 2014, chapter 1 was released on Harkness' website. Harkness is also the author of the award-winning wine blog, Good Wine Under $20. Harkness released a companion book in May 2018 entitled The World of All Souls: The Complete Guide to A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy), followed in September 2018 by an All Souls series trilogy prequel/sequel entitled Time's Convert. The book features Marcus Whitmore, Matthew Clairmont's vampire son. Harkness is an executive producer of BadWolf's television series based on Harkness' novel, A Discovery of Witches. The series premiered in the UK on Sky One on September 14, 2018, and streams on NOW TV and Netflix. The international distribution of the series is handled by Sky Vision. It was revealed by Sky One on All Souls Day (November 2) 2018 that the TV series would be extended by seasons 2 and 3, corresponding to the A Discovery of Witches sequels Shadow of Night and The Book of Life. Season 2 (10 episodes) was released in early 2021, and season 3 (7 episodes) in early 2022.
Personal life
Personal life
Harkness married her longtime partner, Karen Halttunen, they had been together since 1995. She currently lives in Southern California where she is a professor of history. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021.
All Souls
All Souls
• A Discovery of Witches (2011) • Shadow of Night (2012) • The Book of Life (2014) • Time's Convert (2018) • The Black Bird Oracle (2024) • The Falcon and the Rose (TBD)
Companions
Companions
• The All Souls Real-Time Reading Companion (2015) • The World of All Souls: A Complete Guide to A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and the Book of Life (2018)
Journal articles
Journal articles
*
Career and activity
Career and activity
Deborah Harkness worked in history of science, history of medicine, modern period, Renaissance and wine. She was employed by University of California, Davis. She belonged to The Renaissance Society of America, North American Conference on British Studies and American Historical Association.
Identity
Identity
Deborah Harkness is recorded with the occupation university teacher. Recorded with the occupation executive producer. Recorded as having studied at Mount Holyoke College, Northwestern University and University of California, Davis.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1965
Deborah Harkness was born on 5 April 1965.
Other books
* • (see also The Jewel House)
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Deborah Harkness”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2541295: Deborah Harkness
General reference · Wikidata
Awards
• Comic-Con International's Inkpot Award for (2018) • Honorary Degree, Mount Holyoke College (2014) Harkness' faculty profile on the University of Southern California's website also lists the following honors and awards: • Highly Commended, Longman-History Today Awards Book Prize, Spring 2009 • Pfizer Award for Best Book in the History of Science, History of Science Society, Fall 2008 • John Best Snow Prize for Best Book in British Studies, North American Conference on British Studies, Fall 2008 • Prize for Best Book, Pacific Coast Conference on British Studies, Spring 2008 • Huntington Library Research Fellowship, National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, 2006–2007 • Guggenheim Fellowship, John S. Guggenheim Foundation, 2004–2005 • Residency at the National Humanities Center, National Humanities Center, John E. Sawyer Fellow, 2004–2005 • NIH/NSF Career Development Award, National Science Foundation Senior Scholar's Award, 2001–2002 • Derek Price Award for Best Isis Article, History of Science Society, 1998 • American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship, 1997–1998 • Huntington Library Research Fellowship, National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, Huntington Library, 1997–1998 • Nelson Prize for Best Article, Renaissance Society of America, 1997 • Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, U.S. Department of Education, 1989–1993 • Fulbright Award, Fulbright Fellowship to the United Kingdom, 1991–1992
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Timberg, Scott. Deborah Harkness' 'A Discovery of Witches' started with airport bookstores. Los Angeles Times. April 10, 2011.
- 2.Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California. Faculty Profile: Deborah Elizabeth Harkness.
- 3.Boston, Michelle Salzman. The Dark of Harkness. University of Southern California Dornsife. 2013-05-07.
- 4.Hernandez-Vogt, Persephone. Discovery of a writer: alum pens a preternatural tale. The Mount Holyoke News. February 24, 2011.
- 5.Deborah Harkness. USC Dornsife.
- 6."Deborah Harkness: The All Souls Trilogy." (February 10, 2014).
- 7.Gressitt, Kit-Bacon. SoCal scholar bounds into the supernatural. North County Times. February 20, 2011.
- 8.McGee, Celia. 15 Books to Watch for in February 2011. Book Finder. Oprah.com. 4. February 2011.
- 9.Meyer, Michal. Facts and Fictions. Chemical Heritage Magazine. 29. 3. 40–41. Fall 2011 – Winter 2012.
- 10.Best Sellers. The New York Times. February 27, 2011.
- 11.Pellegrino, Nicky. Deborah Harkness: Once bitten . The New Zealand Herald. April 11, 2011.
- 12.Bennett, Steve. A potent spell cast. San Antonio Express-News. February 12, 2011.
- 13.Best Sellers – Hardcover Fiction. The New York Times. July 29, 2012.
- 14.Deborah Harkness. www.facebook.com.
- 15.Deborah Harkness author of The All Souls Trilogy official website. Deborah Harkness.
- 16.Love 'A Discovery of Witches' on Netflix? Read the Books The Show Is Based On. August 30, 2024.
- 17.A Discovery of Witches streaming: How to watch A Discovery of Witches online.
- 18.Sky Corporate. Sky.
- 19.» A Discovery Of Witches. bad-wolf.com.
- 20.MAGICAL NEWS: We're absolutely. 1058388271917481984. November 2, 2018.
- 21.IMDB. A Discovery of Witches.
- 22.Haldeman, Peter. All Souls working magic on TV now A talk with author Deborah Harkness. NNY 360. January 24, 2019.
- 23.Puckett-Pope, Lauren. Deborah Harkness, the 'Accidental Novelist,' Has Years' Worth of 'All Souls' Books in the Pipeline. July 12, 2024.
- 24.Deborah Harkness Has Never Read Jane Austen. Really. New York Times. August 1, 2024.
- 25.Kavey, Allison. London Calling. Chemical Heritage Magazine. 26. 2. 44. Summer 2008.
- 26.Inkpot Award
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
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Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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