*As with many of my articles, this one first appeared in AntiqueWeek:
“The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.”
~Tom Clancy
Best-selling author Tom Clancy, who died October 1 at the age of 66, wrote military novels that made a whole lot of sense. So much sense, in fact, that he was viewed suspiciously by certain members of the military.
According to Hillel Italie of The Associated Press, “In 1985, a
year after the Cold War thriller The Hunt
for Red October came out, author Tom Clancy was invited to lunch at the
Reagan White House, where he was questioned by Navy Secretary John Lehman. Who,
the secretary wanted to know, gave him access to all that secret material?”
Clancy, a meticulous researcher, insisted that he gathered all his
information from unclassified, easily obtainable books, interviews, and technical
manuals, a practice he continued until his death.
Like Ian Fleming, whose James Bond novels were touted by John F.
Kennedy, Clancy’s work was given the unofficial presidential seal of approval
by President Ronald Reagan, ironically enough. Reagan called The Hunt for Red October “the perfect yarn”
when a reporter asked what he was reading as he stepped off Marine One, the
book tucked under his arm.
Originally published by the U.S. Naval Institute Press, The Hunt for Red October had a first run
of 15,000 copies, according to The Making
of a Bestseller: From Author to Reader (1999, McFarland Publishers).
However, shortly after the remarks by Reagan, the novel was picked up by
Berkley Books and became a New York Times Best Seller.
According to some sources, including abebooks.com and veryfinebooks.com,
first print, first edition copies of The
Hunt for Red October are worth $400-$800 in Fine condition or better.
However, other sources, such as nudelmanbooks.com, list the book at more than
$3,000. Uncorrected proofs of the first edition, which, of course, are scarcer,
typically command $2,000-$4,000.
The Hunt for Red October, which kick-started the techno-thriller subgenre, tells the tale
of the pursuit of a runaway top secret Russian missile submarine. The hero is
Jack Ryan, who was played by Alec Baldwin in the 1990 feature film based on the
book. Other popular actors would portray Ryan in movies based on Clancy works as
well, including Ben Affleck (The Sum of
All Fears) and Harrison Ford (Patriot
Games, Clear and Present Danger).
Comic book scripter and science fiction novelist John Jackson
Miller (Star Wars: Kenobi) credits
Clancy as an influence on his personal and professional life. “There was a time
when I was first in line for the new book and movie,” he said. “I saw The Hunt for Red October three times
opening weekend, and Clancy’s work partially inspired me to pursue my foreign
policy studies.”
Despite his keen interest in the armed forces, Clancy, who suffered
from poor eyesight, never served in the military, a point Miller acknowledges:
“My year on (Marvel Comics’) Iron Man
was very much a Clancy homage, mimicking his drive for technical accuracy. He
showed that you didn't have to spend a career in the military to write about it
if you did your homework.”
Seventeen of Clancy’s novels have reached number one on the New
York Times Best Seller list, and his books have sold more than 100 million
copies worldwide. His final book, Command Authority, co-authored with Mark
Greaney and starring Jack Ryan, is scheduled for release December 3.
No comments:
Post a Comment