Peter James was educated at Brisbane Grammar School and gained a Bachelor of Science from The University of Queensland in 1959. In 1965 he was awarded a Master of Science (Engineering) in Soil Mechanics from Imperial College, London, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy (Soil Mechanics) from the University of London in 1970. It was during his time in London in the sixties that he began his writing career. He has worked as a lecturer in the Engineering Department at The University of Queensland from 1970 to 1973 and also as consultant engineering-geologist in the United Kingdom, Spain and the Asia Pacific region, both in field and academic positions.