Gorky Park
First book in the Arkady Renko series, which became an instant bestseller and changed the crime fiction genre. More
Francesca Lia Block
It has been said that only two things helped survivors of the Holocaust: 1) massage and 2) telling their stories. More
Ursula K. Le Guin
Dear HarperCollins: You ask me, “Why do you read? Why do you write?” Well, I mean, duh. More
The Guns of Navarone
Classic World War II thriller from MacLean, acclaimed master of action and suspense. More
Agatha Christie
The house of Collins acquired “Queen of Crime” Agatha Christie after she disagreed with her former publisher over the spelling of “coco”/”cocoa” in her first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. More
Kimberly McCreight
I write because I want answers. More
The Exorcist
The first horror story to reach number one on the New York Times bestseller list. More
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
1891: Harper & Brothers purchases rights to Conan Doyle’s Adventures of Sherlock Holmes…
Enabled by the 1891 International Copyright Treaty, Harper & Brothers purchases the rights to Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. More
A Game of Thrones
First volume in the internationally bestselling series that has sold upward of 70 million copies. More
Cally Taylor
When I get an idea for a novel the fizz of excitement I feel is electrifying. 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
The Graveyard Book
Winner of the Newbery Medal, the Carnegie Medal, and the Hugo Award for Best Novel. More
Stuart MacBride
I write because I love to read. More
Publishing Firsts: The Historical Romance Genre
At the time of its publication in 1972, nothing like Kathleen Woodiwiss’s The Flame and the Flower had ever been published. 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 War of the Worlds
The much-adapted classic from “the father of science fiction.” More
The Fellowship of the Ring
First volume in The Lord of the Rings series, which has sold more than 100 million copies. More
American Gods
An instant classic and winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. More
1972: Avon launches the historical romance genre…
Avon launches the historical romance genre when it publishes Kathleen Woodiwiss’s The Flame and the Flower, a historical romance with a strong female lead and sexual situations that go a step beyond the tame romances of earlier eras. More
1971: William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist is published…
William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist becomes the first horror story to reach number one on the New York Times bestseller list and helps initiate the modern horror film movement. More
Original cover design for a Collins Crime Club title
Here you can see the progression of the cover art for the Collins Crime Club title Nothing is the Number When You Die by Joan Fleming (circa 1940s). More
Fahrenheit 451
Though set in a dystopian world without books, Bradbury’s most famous work has never gone out of print. More
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia #1)
First book written in the world-celebrated Narnia series; captivating readers for more than sixty years. More
Kiera Cass
Reading has always been a safe place for me. More
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Christie’s first book to be published by William Collins; known for its startling reveal. More
Lauren Oliver
I read so that I can learn and I write so that I can explore. More
