Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 New York City – March 12, 2001 Naples, Florida) was an American author of 21 thriller novels. There are more than 290 million copies of his books in print, and they have been translated into 32 languages. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.^[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... is the 71st day of the year (72nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Location in Collier County and the state of Florida Coordinates: , Country State Counties Collier Settled 6 November 1886 Incorporated (town) 1925 Incorporated (city) 25 May 1949 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Bill Barnett   - City Manager Robert E. Lee  Area [1]  - city  14. ... A pen name or nom de plume is a pseudonym adopted by an author. ... This article is about work. ... A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television. ... Mystery fiction is a distinct subgenre of detective fiction that entails the occurrence of an unknown event which requires the protagonist to make known (or solve). ... is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... is the 71st day of the year (72nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Location in Collier County and the state of Florida Coordinates: , Country State Counties Collier Settled 6 November 1886 Incorporated (town) 1925 Incorporated (city) 25 May 1949 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Bill Barnett   - City Manager Robert E. Lee  Area [1]  - city  14. ... The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television. ...

Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. A non-Ludlum book supposedly inspired by his unused notes, Covert One: The Hades Factor, has also been made into a mini-series. The Bourne movies, starring Matt Damon in the title role, have been commercially successful, although the story lines depart significantly from the source material. The Osterman Weekend is a thriller novel by Robert Ludlum. ... The Holcroft Covenant is a 1985 film based on the Robert Ludlum novel The Holcroft Covenant. ... The Apocalypse Watch is a novel by Robert Ludlum. ... The Bourne Identity is a 2002 film loosely based on Robert Ludlums novel of the same name. ... The Bourne Supremacy is a 2004 film loosely based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name. ... The Bourne Ultimatum is an Academy Award winning 2007 spy film loosely based[1] on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name. ... Matthew Paige Matt Damon (born October 8, 1970) is an American screenwriter and actor. ...

Ludlum was educated at The Rectory School Cheshire Academy and Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. While at Wesleyan, Ludlum joined the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. Prior to becoming an author he had been a theatrical actor and producer. His theatrical experience may have contributed to his understanding of the energy, escapism and action that the public wanted in a novel. He once remarked: "I equate suspense and good theater in a very similar way. I think it's all suspense and what-happens-next. From that point of view, yes, I guess, I am theatrical." The Rectory Schoolis a boarding and day private school for students in grades Pre-K-1 & 5-9. ... Cheshire Academy Cheshire Academy is a Prep school located in Cheshire, Connecticut. ... Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatrical production. ...

Ludlum died in 2001 of a subdural hematoma, reportedly leaving behind several unpublished manuscripts and rough outlines, which continue to be dusted off and published with the help of ghostwriters. A subdural hematoma (SDH) is a form of traumatic brain injury in which blood collects between the dura (the outer protective covering of the brain) and the arachnoid (the middle layer of the meninges). ... For other uses, see Ghostwriter (disambiguation). ...

Writing analysis and criticism

Ludlum's novels typically featured one heroic man, or a small group of crusading individuals, in a struggle against powerful adversaries whose intentions and motivations are evil, adversaries capable of using political and economic mechanisms in frightening ways. His vision of the world was one where global corporations, shadowy military forces and government organizations all conspired to preserve (if it was evil) or undermine (if it was good) the status quo. With the exception of occasional gaps in his knowledge of firearms, his novels are meticulously researched to include accurate technical, geographical, and biological details, including the research on amnesia for The Bourne Identity. A firearm is a kinetic energy weapon that fires either a single or multiple projectiles propelled at high velocity by the gases produced by action of the rapid confined burning of a propellant. ... For other uses, see Amnesia (disambiguation). ... For the 1988 film starring Richard Chamberlain, see The Bourne Identity (1988 film). ...

Ludlum's novels were often inspired by conspiracy theories, both historical and contemporary. He wrote that The Matarese Circle was inspired by rumors about the Trilateral Commission, and it was published only a few years after the commission was founded. His depictions of terrorism in books such as The Holcroft Covenant and The Matarese Circle reflected the theory that terrorists were only pawns of governments or private organizations that wished to use terror as a pretext for establishing authoritarian rule, not the isolated bands of ideologically motivated extremists they were so often made out to be. A conspiracy theory is a theory that defies common historical or current understanding of events, under the claim that those events are the result of manipulations by two or more individuals or various secretive powers or conspiracies. ... The Matarese Circle (1979) is a novel by Robert Ludlum. ... The Trilateral Commission is a private organization, founded in July 1973, at the initiative of David Rockefeller; who was Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations at that time and the Commission is widely seen as a counterpart to the Council on Foreign Relations. ... Terrorist redirects here. ... The Holcroft Covenant is a 1978 espionage novel by Robert Ludlum. ... The Matarese Circle (1979) is a novel by Robert Ludlum. ...

Ludlum has received criticism for using the same fixed titling pattern, "The [Proper noun] [Noun]", for most of his books.^{[citation needed]} The bibliography below contains evidence of this. (It is popularly believed that "Trevayne" was written under a pen name in order for Ludlum to continue his titling style.) In linguistics, a noun or noun substantive is a lexical category which is defined in terms of how its members combine with other grammatical kinds of expressions. ... In linguistics, a noun or noun substantive is a lexical category which is defined in terms of how its members combine with other grammatical kinds of expressions. ...

Selected bibliography

By Ludlum, published during the author's lifetime († March 2001)

• The Scarlatti Inheritance (1971)
• The Osterman Weekend (1972)
• The Matlock Paper (1973)
• Trevayne (1973, writing under the pen-name Jonathan Ryder)
• The Cry of the Halidon (1974, writing under the pen-name Jonathan Ryder)
• The Rhinemann Exchange (1974)
• The Road to Gandolfo (1975, writing under the pen-name Michael Shephard)
• The Gemini Contenders (1976)
• The Chancellor Manuscript (1977)
• The Holcroft Covenant (1978)
• The Matarese Circle (1979)
• The Bourne Identity (1980)
• The Parsifal Mosaic (1982)
• The Aquitaine Progression (1984)
• The Bourne Supremacy (1986)
• The Icarus Agenda (1988)
• The Bourne Ultimatum (1990)
• The Road to Omaha (1992)
• The Scorpio Illusion (1993)
• The Apocalypse Watch (1995)
• The Matarese Countdown (1997)
• The Prometheus Deception (2000)

HEy does anyone know what his first book is in his series? ... The Osterman Weekend is a thriller novel by Robert Ludlum. ... The Matlock Paper (ISBN 0752858637) is a novel by Robert Ludlum. ... Robert Ludlums fourth novel, published in 1973. ... The Rhinemann Exchange is a novel of suspense by Robert Ludlum, set in the middle of the Second World War. ... The Road to Gandolfo is a story by Robert Ludlum about General MacKenzie Hawkins, a living military legend and a veteran. ... The Gemini Contenders is a novel by Robert Ludlum. ... The Chancellor Manuscript is a 1977 novel, written by Robert Ludlum, about the alleged secret files of J. Edgar Hoover and how they disappeared after his death, and how possibly they could be used to force people in high places to do the bidding of those who possessed the secrets... The Holcroft Covenant is a 1978 espionage novel by Robert Ludlum. ... The Matarese Circle (1979) is a novel by Robert Ludlum. ... For the 1988 film starring Richard Chamberlain, see The Bourne Identity (1988 film). ... The Parsifal Mosaic is a 1982 novel by Robert Ludlum. ... The Aquitaine Progression is a novel by Robert Ludlum. ... For the film see: The Bourne Supremacy (film) The Bourne Supremacy (ISBN 0553263226) is a novel written by Robert Ludlum and a sequel to The Bourne Identity. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... For the 2007 film starring Matt Damon , see The Bourne Ultimatum (film). ... The Road to Omaha is a novel by Robert Ludlum published in 1992. ... The Scorpio Illusion is a 1993 novel by the late Robert Ludlum. ... The Apocalypse Watch is a novel by Robert Ludlum. ... The Matarese Countdown is the sequel to the The Matarese Circle. ... The Prometheus Deception is a spy fiction thriller novel written in 2000 by Robert Ludlum about an agent in an ultraclandestine agency known only as the Directorate named Nick Bryson, alias Jonas Barett, alias Jonathan Coleridge, alias The Technician, who is thrown into a fight between an organization he knows...

Credited To Ludlum, published posthumously

Most, if not all, of these are written by a so far unknown ghostwriter who has been faithful to Robert Ludlum's style of writing. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

• The Sigma Protocol (October, 2001)
• The Janson Directive (2002)
• The Tristan Betrayal (2003)
• The Ambler Warning (2005)
• The Bancroft Strategy (2006)

The Sigma Protocol (2002) is the last book written by Robert Ludlum, and published posthumously. ... PLOT: (Taken from the books inside cover) One of the worlds greatest men has been kidnapped. ... The Tristan Betrayal is a novel by Robert Ludlum, published posthumously in 2003. ... The Ambler Warning is a Robert Ludlum spy thriller that takes us to a place on Parrish Island, a restricted island off the coast of Virginia. ... The Bancroft Strategy (ISBN 0-312-31673-9) is a novel written by Robert Ludlum that was released on October 17, 2006. ...

Covert-One series

Main article: Covert-One series

Written by other authors, supposedly based on unpublished material by Robert Ludlum. The Covert-One series is a sequence of thriller novels written by several authors, supposedly based on unpublished material by Robert Ludlum. ...

• The Hades Factor (by Gayle Lynds) (2000)
• The Cassandra Compact (by Phillip Shelby) (2001)
• The Paris Option (by Gayle Lynds) (2002)
• The Altman Code (by Gayle Lynds) (2003)
• The Lazarus Vendetta (by Patrick Larkin) (2004)
• The Moscow Vector (by Patrick Larkin) (2005)
• The Arctic Event (by James H. Cobb) (2007)
• The Infinity Affair (by James H. Cobb) (planned for 2009)

Gayle Lynds is the author of The Coil, Masquerade, Mosaic, and Mesmerized, and co-creator with Robert Ludlum of the Covert-One series. ... Gayle Lynds is the author of The Coil, Masquerade, Mosaic, and Mesmerized, and co-creator with Robert Ludlum of the Covert-One series. ... Gayle Lynds is the author of The Coil, Masquerade, Mosaic, and Mesmerized, and co-creator with Robert Ludlum of the Covert-One series. ... Plot:(taken from the back of the book) The Lazarus movement, the dominant force in the eco-conscious, anti-technology protest movement, has sent rumblings down the halls of the worlds intelligence agencies. ... Patrick Larkin is a bestselling novelist specializing in historical, military, and espionage thrillers. ... Patrick Larkin is a bestselling novelist specializing in historical, military, and espionage thrillers. ...

Sequels to Ludlum Books

• The Bourne Legacy (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2004)
• The Bourne Betrayal (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2007)
• The Bourne Sanction (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2008)

Book Cover The Bourne Legacy is a spy fiction thriller written by Eric Van Lustbader and based on the character of Jason Bourne created by author Robert Ludlum. ... Eric Van Lustbader (1946 - ) is a writer of fantasy and thriller novels. ... The Bourne Betrayal is the title for the upcoming novel by Eric Van Lustbader and the fifth novel in the Jason Bourne series created by Robert Ludlum. ... Eric Van Lustbader (1946 - ) is a writer of fantasy and thriller novels. ... Eric Van Lustbader (1946 - ) is a writer of fantasy and thriller novels. ...

Filmography

Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, although the story lines might depart significantly from the source material. In general, a miniseries is more faithful to the original novel it is based on.

• 1977 - The Rhinemann Exchange — miniseries — Stephen Collins as David Spaulding, Lauren Hutton as Leslie Jenner Hawkewood
• 1983 - The Osterman Weekend — film — Rutger Hauer as John Tanner
• 1985 - The Holcroft Covenant — film — Michael Caine as Noel Holcroft
• 1988 - The Bourne Identity — miniseries — Richard Chamberlain as Jason Bourne, Jaclyn Smith as Marie St. Jacques
• 1997 - The Apocalypse Watch — miniseries — Patrick Bergin as Drew Latham
• 2002 - The Bourne Identity — film — Matt Damon as Jason Bourne and Franka Potente as Marie Helena Kreutz
• 2004 - The Bourne Supremacy — film — Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
• 2006 - Covert One: The Hades Factor — miniseries — Stephen Dorff as Jon Smith
• 2007 - The Bourne Ultimatum — film — Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
• 2009 - The Matarese Circle — film — Denzel Washington as Brandon Scofield ¹
• 2009 - The Chancellor Manuscript — film — Leonardo DiCaprio as Peter Chancellor ¹

¹ announced/in development Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Stephen Weaver Collins (born October 1, 1947) is an American actor. ... Lauren Hutton (born November 17, 1943) is an American actress and model. ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... Movie poster for The Osterman Weekend The Osterman Weekend is a 1983 film directed by Sam Peckinpah. ... Rutger Oelsen Hauer (IPA: [rʏtxÉ›r ulsÉ›n hÊŒuÉ›r]) (born in Breukelen, January 23, 1944) is a Dutch film actor. ... This article is about the year. ... The Holcroft Covenant is a 1985 film based on the Robert Ludlum novel The Holcroft Covenant. ... This article is about the English actor. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... For the 2002 film staring Matt Damon, see The Bourne Identity (film). ... Richard Chamberlain, right, as John Blackthorne, and John Rhys-Davies, left, as the Portuguese Pilot Vasco Rodrigues in the Shogun television miniseries. ... Jaclyn Smith (born October 26, 1947) is a Golden Globe-nominated American actress. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Patrick Connolly Bergin (born February 4, 1951) is an Irish actor. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The Bourne Identity is a 2002 film loosely based on Robert Ludlums novel of the same name. ... Matthew Paige Matt Damon (born October 8, 1970) is an American screenwriter and actor. ... Jason Charles Bourne is a fictional character of Robert Ludlum novels and subsequent film adaptations. ... Franka Potente (born on July 22, 1974) is a German film actress. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Bourne Supremacy is a 2004 film loosely based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The Bourne Ultimatum is an Academy Award winning 2007 spy film loosely based[1] on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name. ... 2009 (MMIX) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Matarese Circle (1979) is a novel by Robert Ludlum. ... Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. ... 2009 (MMIX) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Chancellor Manuscript is a 1977 novel, written by Robert Ludlum, about the alleged secret files of J. Edgar Hoover and how they disappeared after his death, and how possibly they could be used to force people in high places to do the bidding of those who possessed the secrets... Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11, 1974[1]) is a three-time Academy Award-nominated, SAG Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor who garnered world wide fame for his role as Jack Dawson in Titanic (1997). ...

See also

• Spy fiction
• Airport novel
• List of bestselling novels in the United States

For the video game, see Spy Fiction (video game). ... The Road to Omaha by Robert Ludlum contains elements of self-parody not often found in airport novels, but the back cover still promised byzantine treachery and relentless action. Airport novels represent a literary genre that is not so much defined by its plot or cast of stock characters, as... This is a list of bestselling novels in the United States, as determined by Publishers Weekly. ...

References

External links

• Robert Ludlum at the Internet Movie Database
• 1984 and 1986 audio interviews of Robert Ludlum by Don Swaim of CBS Radio, mp3 and RealAudio at Wired for Books.org
• Signature of Robert Ludlum
• Robert Ludlum at the Internet Book List