Harold Robbins

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."

Featured Books By Author

The Inheritors

From the author of The New York Times #1 best-selling novel The Carpetbaggers comes a novel exposing the money, fame, sex, politics and power that accompany being at the top of the entertainment industry.

Based on the real lives of network executives and other high-profile personalities in the early days when television first became a viable threat to the all-powerful business of the silver screen, The Inheritors is the first in Harold Robbins’ "Trilogy of Greed" and spent 21 weeks on The New York Times best sellers list.

Steve Gaunt, the rebellious visionary, is the head of a successful television empire, making him a hit in the ratings and with gorgeous women. Sam Benjamin, one of the last of the old motion picture tycoons, desperately wants to hold on to the power that has long been associated with the more "glamorous" part of the business—the movies. When the two combine forces, they have the potential to remake the entertainment industry—or be each other’s undoing. Will their friendship fall apart when their money is on the line, or will their partnership make them even more wealthy and powerful? Entertainment is a dirty business, built by ruthless mavericks. The only rule is that nothing is real in Hollywood.

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Where Love Has Gone

From the author of The New York Times #1 best-selling novel The Carpetbaggers comes a story inspired by the real-life murder of Johnny Stompanato, allegedly stabbed to death by the daughter of his lover, actress Lana Turner. Where Love Has Gone is a thrilling tale of greed, betrayal, and passion. When first published in 1962, the novel rocked Hollywood to its core, staying on The New York Times best sellers list for 14 weeks—and it is now for the first time available digitally.

In love and soon to be a father, Luke Carey has the life he’s always wanted. That is, until a mysterious late-night phone call summons him to San Francisco. Luke’s first daughter whom he hasn’t seen in six years, fourteen-year-old Danielle, needs him, and he’s desperate to do anything he can to help. But coming back into Danielle’s life means facing his ex-wife Nora, and the explosive, violent drama of the life he left behind.

Where Love Has Gone was adapted into the Academy Award®-nominated blockbuster film of the same name, starring Oscar® winners Bette Davis and Susan Hayward.

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The Betsy

From the author of The New York Times #1 best-selling novel The Carpetbaggers comes a revealing saga that exposes the shocking, merciless world of the American automobile industry.

Angelo Perino lives life on the bleeding edge of speed and success—a race car driver of humble origins who dominates on and off the track. Loren Hardeman is the ruthless patriarch of an auto empire, fighting to keep his family from self-destructing under the weight of its own greed and decadence. The two men, bound by their passionate vision as well as their charismatic power over women, come together to create the world’s fastest, most advanced automobile, "The Betsy"—named after Hardeman’s great-granddaughter, who has captured Perino’s heart.

Their creation threatens to disrupt the industry, whose power brokers are determined to prevent it no matter the cost. This pits Hardeman’s own grandson, the company’s current CEO, against him, revealing the depths to which Hardeman went to build his empire—including murder, incestuous adultery and organized crime. As the family feud escalates, Perino makes his move to conquer Hardeman’s empire as well as his great-granddaughter.

When it was published, The Betsy spent 21 weeks on The New York Times best sellers list—and inspired a film of the same name starring Laurence Olivier, Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Duvall and Katharine Ross. This novel from master storyteller Harold Robbins pulls back the curtain on the glittering world of fame, fortune, and passion at the height of the auto industry, giving a look into the world that is now shown to be full of scandal and product recalls.

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Books By
Harold Robbins