Donald James (aka Donald James Wheal, 1931 to 2008) was the author of the bestselling novels Vadim, Monstrum, The Fortune Teller and The Fall of the Russian Empire as well as non-fiction books such as The Penguin Dictionary of the Third Reich. He wrote under a number of pseudonyms, notably Thomas Dresden and James Barwick (originally in collaboration with writer Tony Barwick). He also had an extensive career as a scriptwriter on shows such as The Avengers, 1999, "Joe 90" The Champions, "The Secret Service" The Persuaders!, The Saint, Department S, UFO, The Protectors, Randall and Hopkirk , The Adventurer, "Terrahawks" and Impossible. After spending periods in Ireland and France, he lived in London, and his autobiographical account of life in World War II London, World's End, was published in 2005. A second volume of his memoirs, titled White City was published in March 2007.