Editing James Payn (section)

==Editor and novelist==
Payn then settled down in the [[Lake District National Park|Lake District]] to a literary career and contributed regularly to ''[[Household Words]]'' and ''[[Chambers's Edinburgh Journal|Chambers's Journal]]''. In 1858 he moved to [[Edinburgh]] to act as joint editor of the latter, and became its sole editor in 1860 with much success for 15 years. Meanwhile he moved to London in 1861.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} In the ''Journal'' he published in 1864 his most popular story, ''[[Lost Sir Massingberd]]''.<ref>"Personal Character of James Payn," ''The Literary Digest,'' 4 June 1898.</ref> Thereafter he was engaged in writing novels, including ''Richard Arbour or the Family Scapegrace'' (1861),<ref>John Payn. "[https://archive.org/stream/myfirstbookexper00jeroiala#page/n41/mode/2up The Family Scapegrace]." In: ''My First Book,'' Chatto & Windus, 1897.</ref> ''Married Beneath Him'' (1865), ''Carlyon's Year'' (1868), ''A County Family'' (1869), ''By Proxy'' (1878), ''A Confidential Agent'' (1880), ''Thicker Than Water'' (1883), ''The Canon's Ward'' (1883), ''A Grape from a Thorn'', ''The Talk of the Town'' (1885), and ''The Heir of the Ages'' (1886).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Payn, James |website=British Library (catalogue.bl.uk) |url=http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?fn=search&ct=search&initialSearch=true&mode=Advanced&tab=local_tab&indx=1&dum=true&srt=rank&vid=BLVU1&frbg=&tb=t&vl%282084770715UI0%29=creator&vl%282084770715UI0%29=title&vl%282084770715UI0%29=any&vl%281UIStartWith0%29=contains&vl%28freeText0%29=payn%2C+james&vl%28boolOperator0%29=AND&vl%282084770717UI1%29=any&vl%282084770717UI1%29=title&vl%282084770717UI1%29=any&vl%281UIStartWith1%29=contains&vl%28freeText1%29=&vl%28boolOperator1%29=AND&vl%282084770716UI2%29=any&vl%282084770716UI2%29=title&vl%282084770716UI2%29=any&vl%281UIStartWith2%29=contains&vl%28freeText2%29=&vl%28boolOperator2%29=AND&vl%282084770721UI3%29=all_items&vl%28drStartDay4%29=00&vl%28drStartMonth4%29=00&vl%28drStartYear4%29=Year&vl%28drEndDay4%29=00&vl%28drEndMonth4%29=00&vl%28drEndYear4%29=Year&scp.scps=scope%3A%28BLCONTENT%29&Submit=Search}} <!-- http://catalogue.bl.uk --> Accessed 18 May 2010.</ref>

In 1883 Payn succeeded [[Sir Leslie Stephen|Leslie Stephen]] as editor of the ''[[Cornhill Magazine]]'' and continued there until his health broke down in 1896.<ref>J. Stanley Weyman, [https://archive.org/stream/newcornhill28londuoft#page/50/mode/2up "James Payn, Editor,"] ''The Cornhill Magazine,'' Vol. XXVIII, January/June 1910.</ref> He was also literary adviser to Messrs Smith, Elder & Company. His publications included a ''Handbook to the English Lakes'' (1859), and various volumes of essays: ''Maxims by a Man of the World'' (1869), ''Some Private Views'' (1881), ''Some Literary Recollections'' (1884). His posthumous work ''The Backwater of Life'' (1899) revealed much of his personality through kindly, sensible reflections on familiar topics. He died in London on 25 March 1898.<ref>"James Payn," ''The Bookman'', June 1898.</ref> A biographical introduction to ''The Backwater of Life'' was provided by Sir Leslie Stephen.<ref>Leslie Stephen, [https://archive.org/stream/backwateroflifeo00payn#page/n13/mode/2up "James Payn,"] ''The Backwater of Life'', Smith, Elder & Co., 1899.</ref>{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}