Harold Robbins (1916–1997) is one of the best-selling American fiction writers of all time, ranking 5th on the World’s Best-Selling Fiction Author List just behind William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. He wrote over 25 best-selling novels, sold more than 750 million copies in 42 languages and spent over 300 weeks combined on The New York Times best sellers list. His books were adapted into 13 commercially successful films and also television series that garnered numerous Oscar®, Golden Globe® and Primetime Emmy® nominations starring Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley, Laurence Olivier, Bette Davis, Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones and more.
The self-proclaimed "world’s best writer in plain English," Robbins wrote novels that resonated with audiences due to their graphic depictions of sex, violence, power and drugs, and the multilayered complexities of his characters, as evidenced by his best-selling novels Never Love a Stranger, The Carpetbaggers, Where Love Has Gone, and The Adventurers. He once said in an interview: "People make their own choices every day about what they are willing to do. We don’t have the right to judge them or label them. At least walk in their shoes before you do."
Robbins’ personal life was as fascinating to the public as his novels. An enthusiastic participant in the social and sexual revolution of the 1960s, Robbins cultivated a "playboy" image and maintained friendships with stars including Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dino De Laurentiis, Robert Evans, Ringo Starr, Barbara Eden, Lena Horne and Quincy Jones, and was one of the first novelists to be prominently featured in gossip magazines, earning him the title of "The World’s First Rock Star Author."
"Robbins brought four-letter words and kinky sex out of the dirty bookstore and onto the bedside table of mainstream America." —USA Today
Ruthless, unscrupulous, devastatingly handsome, and insatiable Judd Crane, the richest man in the world, has everything a man could want in life: an endless supply of money, women, power and sex. But despite his vast riches, he realizes that he cannot escape death.
From the author of The New York Times #1 best-selling novel The Carpetbaggers comes a tale of a fierce obsession—immortality. Determined to cheat death, Judd embarks on a dangerous path from Yugoslavia to China, from the sheltered paradise of his lush private island to a secret atomic city in the jungles of Brazil. Along the way, Judd will stop at nothing to find what he’s looking for—including chancing death, endangering his fortune, outmaneuvering foreign agents, and, ultimately, risking both his business empire and the woman he loves—until the very last second, when he discovers the most vital secret of all.
With over 16 weeks on The New York Times best sellers list, this novel of intrigue, decadence, and ruthless determination is pure storytelling—sure to keep you turning pages.
From the author of The New York Times #1 best-selling novel The Carpetbaggers comes a hard-edged look at the seductive, high-stakes and often hypocritical world of religious revivalism and televangelists.
Spellbinder is the story of a genuine and charismatic believer simply known as "Preacher," who returns from the foxholes and horrors of Vietnam with a simple goal: to spread the word of peace, love and charity. He immediately attracts a following as he moves from California communes to small surfing towns. "The Church," as his mobile flock is now known, is a culture that centers as much on sex and drugs as prayers, sacraments and salvation.
Despite a growing following, The Church is bordering on broke. As they reach what is surely the end of the line in Texas, a powerful billionaire witnesses Preacher and likes what he sees. Promising a platform where Preacher can reach millions at once—not dozens—Preacher takes the leap into the new world of mass broadcasting the gospel.
Before long, Preacher becomes one of the most powerful televangelists in the country, making influential friends and building a vast empire as the newest religious superstar. He finds his new success and status as "the" rock star entertainer of big-top religion intoxicating. Deep inside, however, he realizes that he’s become just another "over-the-airwaves" televangelist selling everlasting salvation for an earthly price.
With a burning conscience, he knows that he must make a gut-wrenching decision: preserve his empire to continue to spread the word or make the ultimate sacrifice to expose the hypocrisy that surrounds him.
With five weeks on The New York Times best sellers list, this groundbreaking Harold Robbins novel tackles the culture of televangelism and big-money churches head-on. With a message that is still relevant today with reality TV shows like Preachers of LA, Spellbinder showcases the opulence and narcissism of these supposed men of God.
"Harold Robbins is a master." —Playboy
"Robbins grabs the reader and doesn’t let go…" —Publishers Weekly
A young schoolgirl with dreams of being an actress, JeriLee Randall, is at the dawn of discovering her own sexuality when she meets Walter Thornton, Jr., the son of the world-famous playwright, Walter Thornton, Sr., whom she idolizes. After a humiliating "near" sexual encounter with JeriLee, Walt Jr. participates in a graphically brutal assault that traumatizes JeriLee, triggering unfettered chaos in their small, gossipy town.
Walt’s father Walter Sr. befriends JeriLee and tries to make amends for the deplorable behavior of his son. Over time, despite their age difference, the two become quite close and eventually marry—resulting in yet another town scandal.
But it is JeriLee’s ambition—not the rumors—that drives the couple from this tiny town to New York City, setting her on a collision course with an unexpected future.
Inevitably, their marriage unravels and JeriLee embarks on a path of sexual liberation in her pursuit of success—from stints in sleazy strip clubs to rendezvous on the casting couches of Hollywood moguls, from the searing lights of Broadway to the twilight world of drugs—as JeriLee moves restlessly from man to man and woman to woman.
Can she find success in a brutal world while retaining her dignity, honesty, and the self-respect developed in her youth? As she struggles to retain her dreams of stardom, can her strength and cunning save her from Hollywood’s death grip, allowing her to beat the smooth-talking power players at their own game?
When it was published, The Lonely Lady spent 24 weeks on the best-seller list, turning Hollywood on its ear and, yet again, showing the world that Harold Robbins stood alone in his ability to redefine erotic fiction. Robbins, author of The New York Times #1 best-selling novel The Carpetbaggers, proves that his books still have the power to keep readers turning pages.
