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This year marks 100 years since the death of Nottinghamshire author James Prior – and to mark the centenary year a new book about his life is set to be published.

Prior is best known for his novel Forest Folk, set around Blidworth during the Luddite uprising in the early 1800s.

He wrote five more major novels, all of which were published in London, as well as two unpublished ones, for which the manuscripts are presently lost.

Collecting Nottinghamshire dialect while walking in the Trent Valley led to Prior’s pioneering contributions to the English Dialect Dictionary.

James Prior wrote a novel which was based in Blidworth

Spokesman Books, an imprint of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, has now published In Search of James Prior, by Ailish D’Arcy.

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Tony Simpson, from Spokesman Books said: “Miss D’Arcy took up her researches into Prior when she discovered him at classes held at a local library.

“She is known to generations of students at West Bridgford School.

“And on Saturday, November 26, at 10.30am blue plaques will be inaugurated on two houses in Bingham where Prior lived.

“His centenary falls on December 19 and he is buried in The Banks Municipal Cemetery in Bingham.

A plaque honouring James Prior Kirk, 1851-1922, was also affixed to a Nottinghamshire Council planter in Blidworth.

Acclaimed Nottinghamshire author DH Lawrence once said: “‘What a curious man James Prior is.

“I did not know him, and he was so near home. I was very much interested. But what curious, highly flavoured stuff.”

In Search of James Prior is available from local bookshops, priced £7, or directly from Spokesman, via spokesmanbooks.org

New book about the life of Nottinghamshire author who wrote novel set in Blidworth to be published