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’ characters are compelling, his dialogue is dramatic, and his style is simple and straightforward." —The LA Times
In a raging sandstorm, two men with their pregnant wives fatefully meet in the desert: Samir Al Fay, a Muslim doctor whose son will be named heir to the Prince of Beirut; and Isaiah Ben Ezra, a grizzled Jewish militant Zionist heading to the Promised Land. The women give birth—Samir’s unconscious wife delivers a stillborn girl, Ben Ezra’s wife dies delivering a healthy boy. Transcending their differences, Ben Ezra gives his son to Samir. Only these two men know the truth of the boy’s origin, and Samir vows to raise him as his true son—naming him Badyr.
Years later, Badyr—now known as "The Pirate"—has become one of the wealthiest and most powerful Arabic entrepreneurs in the Middle East. Educated in the West, Badyr is more western than Arabic—but remains grounded in his perceived heritage and distrustful of Jews. The Pirate is seemingly invincible, and with his looks, charm, and unending supply of money, no woman can resist him. But two women have power over his fate: one a long-lost love, another obsessed with the search for her missing father.
However, it’s not just Badyr’s heart at risk. A web of political intrigue, corruption and terrorism threatens the business empire he worked to build, and he is drawn into a shadowy world of decadence, passion, and betrayal. Soon Badyr must decide whom he can trust, risking his life, family and fortune in that decision—and finds allies in the most unlikely of places, shocked by the reality he discovers.
From the author of The New York Times #1 best-seller The Carpetbaggers comes a compelling tale of decadence, luxury, greed, and international intrigue set against a backdrop of Middle East oil and global terrorism. The Pirate was later adapted into the star-studded CBS miniseries featuring Anne Archer, Eli Wallach, Christopher Lee, Ian McShane, Armand Assante and more.
"Robbins grabs the reader and doesn’t let go…" —Publishers Weekly
"His characters are compelling, his dialogue is dramatic, and his style is simple and straightforward." —The LA Times
From the depths of the poverty-stricken West Virginia coal mines to the heights of power as one of the nation’s most prominent and feared labor organizers, "Big Dan" Huggins is a hero worthy of Harold Robbins’ attention. After its release in 1979, Memories of Another Day spent 24 weeks on The New York Times best sellers list, topping the list at #1—and now it’s available for digital download. Recognized as one of the world’s most captivating storytellers, Robbins has written what is arguably the most significant book ever published about the rise of the labor unions in America.
Born to a life of violence and tragedy, Dan becomes one of the most powerful and dangerous labor organizers in the country—at the expense of his personal relationships. He’s a man who embraced violence, fierce ambition, lust and a deep hunger for justice even as he accumulated personal wealth, fame and power. The novel opens at Dan’s funeral, where his estranged son Jonathan is relieved by his father’s death. But Jonathan is quickly thrust into his father’s role and must return to his father’s origins to better understand the man who shaped his past and continues to shape his future. Looking into the lives and childhoods of both father and son, Memories of Another Day gives a close look into the perks—and costs—of power.
Robbins’ gift for combining popular fiction with the most pertinent subjects of the twentieth century allowed him to create a snapshot in time. In this novel, Robbins creates a magnificent epic portrait of fifty years of the bitter birth and tarnished maturity of American labor. Relevant, respectful, and engaging, Memories of Another Day proves once again why Harold Robbins’ books have sold more copies than almost any other American writer in history.
