Harold Robbins: The Man Who Invented Sex

By Andrew Wilson

Harold Robbins, the godfather of the airport novel, changed the face of publishing with classics such as The Carpetbaggers, The Dream Merchants and The Lonely Lady. His readers loved his steamy tales of money, soft porn, drugs, corruption, greed and, just sometimes, redemption. The world's first playboy writer, Robbins reportedly frittered away $50 million on fast cars, loose women and high living. But, obsessed with fame and fortune, Robbins was a deeply complex and often controversial man, and even his closest friends and lovers could only guess at the past of the man behind the perma-tanned mask and gigantic mirrored sunglasses. This is the fascinating story of his extraordinary life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Jul 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781408821633

Andrew Wilson

Andrew Wilson is teaching pastor at King’s Church London and has theology degrees from Cambridge (MA), London School of Theology (MTh), and King’s College London (PhD). He is a columnist for Christianity Today and has written several books, including Echoes of Exodus and Spirit and Sacrament.

Reviews for Harold Robbins

[apkl4350 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a very well-written and compelling biography of the man who pioneered the 'blockbuster' novel. It is amazing to realise just how big Robbins was - selling millions of novels and pushing the boundaries of what could be published by mainstream publishers at a time when censorship was being challenged. Robbins' popularity was huge for a period - but he was quickly overtaken by writers with more literary skill. Robbins was a pretty unpleasant person - a man of contradictions who was expert at telling stories about himself and making it hard to know what was the truth about him (especially his childhood - he routinely told stories about being an orphan but grew up in a relatively normal, stable household). The book also captures very well a particular moment in time when excessive lifestyles (drugs, sex and extravagant spending) were the epitome of glamour. Robbins' sad last years can be seen as something of an instructive tale.