[3] Peter W. James grew up in Sutton Coldfield, which was then a rural suburb of Birmingham and his interests in natural history and exploring the countryside were encouraged by his older sister.
There he enrolled as a Ph.D. student with the intention of studying lichenology, having been inspired after a visit to Bala in North Wales.
[2][3] In 1955 he was employed by London's Natural History Museum initially as a summer student and then as a lichen specialist.
His influence was felt by the lichenologists Oliver Gilbert, David Hawksworth, Mark Seaward, Pat Wolseley and Brian Fox.
He was a founder member, acting treasurer and first president of the International Association for Lichenology and co-ordinated its first field meeting in the Austrian Alps in 1971.
[2] He also led visits and expeditions in the UK and abroad including to temperate South America as well as Australia, New Zealand, North Greenland and the Atlantic islands.
[6][7] His interest in the effects of air quality on lichens began in the 1970, particularly after a visit to an aluminium smelter on Anglesey.
[2] James was the author or co-author of several scientific publications that made significant advances to the knowledge of lichen morphology, taxonomy and community ecology.
[11] James was also a collector of UK stamps, specialising in those from the Edwardian period to King George V and of cacti.