1860: Harper & Brothers enters into the crime fiction genre
Harper & Brothers pay Wilkie Collins £750 for The Woman in White, which heralds the firm's entry into the crime fiction genre. More
The Birth of Perry Mason
Head of William Morrow and Company (later acquired by HarperCollins) since the death of its founder in 1931, Thayer Hobson searched widely for promising new authors, often traveling to Europe in pursuit of his next big title. More
Lauren Oliver
I read so that I can learn and I write so that I can explore. More
Emma Donoghue
Like many teenagers, I spent more of my summer holidays than I probably should have immersed in the world of The Lord of the Rings. More
I, Robot
Asimov’s science fiction masterpiece that influenced a legion of future authors. More
Neil Gaiman
I read to travel, and to learn. More
Gorky Park
First book in the Arkady Renko series, which became an instant bestseller and changed the crime fiction genre. More
The Woman in White
One of the earliest works of detective fiction, this story caused a sensation with readers at the time. More
The Guns of Navarone
Classic World War II thriller from MacLean, acclaimed master of action and suspense. More
Jack Higgins
Why I write: Some years ago, although enjoying great success, I was accused by certain literary critics of repeating myself too much in my work. More
Riders of the Purple Sage
Often called “the most popular Western novel of all time,” this classic helped shape the Western genre. More
Agatha Christie at her Devonshire home
Agatha Christie, known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime, is the best-selling novelist in history, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. More
Kiera Cass
Reading has always been a safe place for me. More
Soman Chainani
Whatever psychic wounds have turned me into a writer I am thankful for. More
Sabriel
A revolutionary story that made Nix a rising star in the fantasy genre. More
Diana Palmer
The first romance novel I ever read was Margaret Way’s Red Cliffs of Malpara. More
The Sheltering Sky
Bowles’s landmark literary novel, a classic work of psychological terror. More
Inventing the Western
Zane Grey and A. B. Guthrie Jr. were considered two of the foremost writers on the American West. More
The Fellowship of the Ring
First volume in The Lord of the Rings series, which has sold more than 100 million copies. More
Brave New World
Huxley’s best-known novel; a prophetic classic of speculative fiction that continues to resonate. More
Letter from Agatha Christie
This letter from Agatha Christie (here signing with her second married name, Mallowan) shows the close relationship she had with Collins publisher Billy Collins. More
The Hunt for Red October
Clancy’s debut novel launched a spectacular career and introduced the world to a new hero, Jack Ryan. More
The Dispossessed
The classic utopian science fiction; winner of the Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Awards. More
Science Fiction & Fantasy
HarperCollins’s connections to nascent science fiction and fantasy worlds began with works such as Edward Lytton Bulwer’s The Coming Race (1871), and H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds (1898) and The Invisible Man (1898). More
And Then There Were None
The bestselling crime novel of all time. More
Stuart MacBride
I write because I love to read. More
The Exorcist
The first horror story to reach number one on the New York Times bestseller list. More