Alistair MacLean was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of a minister. He spent much of his childhood in Daviot, Scotland. His native language was Scottish Gaelic. During World War II he served with the Royal Navy and was released in 1946. After the war, he studied English at the University of Glasgow, and he began writing short stories for extra income. He graduated in 1953 and became a a school teacher in Rutherglen. In 1954 he won a fiction competition and Collins Publishing asked him for a novel. He submitted HMS Ulysses, drawn from his own war experiences, and it was published in 1955. It was very successful and MacLean became a full-time writer. In the 1960s, he published two novels under the pseudonym "Ian Stuart." His books eventually sold so well that he moved to Switzerland as a tax exile. From 1963–1966, he took a hiatus from writing to run a hotel business in England. He continued to write until his death in 1987, although with his later books his popularity declined.
153 works Add another?
Most Editions | First Published | Most Recent
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The guns of Navarone
17 editions - first published in 1957 Borrow -
H.M.S. Ulysses
16 editions - first published in 1955 Borrow -
South by Java Head
15 editions - first published in 1958 Borrow -
Bear Island
13 editions - first published in 1971 Borrow -
Ice Station Zebra
13 editions - first published in 1963 Borrow -
The Satan Bug
12 editions - first published in 1962 Borrow -
Force 10 from Navarone
12 editions - first published in 1968 Borrow -
Fear is the key
11 editions - first published in 1961 Borrow -
River of death
11 editions - first published in 1981 Borrow -
Floodgate
11 editions - first published in 1983 Checked out -
Where eagles dare
11 editions - first published in 1967 Borrow -
Night without end
10 editions - first published in 1960 -
The dark crusader
10 editions - first published in 1961 Borrow -
The Golden Rendezvous
10 editions - first published in 1962 Borrow -
The Guns of Navarone
10 editions - first published in 1957 -
Athabasca
10 editions - first published in 1980 Borrow -
Seawitch
10 editions - first published in 1977 Borrow -
The way to dusty death
10 editions - first published in 1973 Borrow -
Santorini
9 editions - first published in 1986 Borrow -
When eight bells toll
9 editions - first published in 1966 Borrow -
Circus
9 editions - first published in 1975 Borrow -
The Last Frontier
8 editions - first published in 1959 -
Breakheart Pass
8 editions - first published in 1974 -
Ice Station Zebra
8 editions - first published in 1969 -
San Andreas
8 editions - first published in 1984 Borrow -
Goodbye California
7 editions - first published in 1977 -
Fear is the key
7 editions - first published in 1961 -
Where Eagles Dare
7 editions - first published in 1976 -
Puppet on a Chain
7 editions - first published in 1969 Borrow -
Lawrence of Arabia
6 editions - first published in 1962 Borrow -
The Golden Rendezvous
6 editions - first published in 1970 -
H.M.S. Ulysses
6 editions - first published in 1955 -
Force 10 from Navarone
6 editions - first published in 1968 -
Puppet on a Chain
6 editions - first published in 1979 -
The Golden Gate
6 editions - first published in 1976 Borrow -
The lonely sea
6 editions - first published in 1985 Borrow -
Partisans
6 editions - first published in 1982 Borrow -
The Golden Gate
5 editions - first published in 1995 -
Fear Is the Key
5 editions - first published in 1969 -
Caravan to Vaccares
5 editions - first published in 1978 -
Night Without End
5 editions - first published in 1976 -
Ice Station Zebra
5 editions - first published in 1960 -
Captain Cook
4 editions - first published in 1972 -
The Golden Rendezvous
4 editions - first published in 1971 -
Black Shrike
4 editions - first published in 1978 -
The guns of Navarone
4 editions - first published in 1964 -
H M S Ulysses
4 editions - first published in 1976 -
The Satan Bug
4 editions - first published in 1972 -
Bear Island
4 editions - first published in 1979 -
Breakheart Pass
4 editions - first published in 1978 -
When Eight Bells Toll
4 editions - first published in 1985 -
Where Eagles Dare
4 editions - first published in 1968 -
Breakheart Pass
4 editions - first published in 1981 -
Caravan to Vaccares
4 editions - first published in 1970 Borrow -
Caravan to Vaccarès
3 editions - first published in 1970 -
Seawitch
3 editions - first published in 1981 -
When eight bells toll
3 editions - first published in 1966 -
Satan Bug
3 editions - first published in 1975 -
South by Java Head
3 editions - first published in 1969 -
Seawitch
3 editions - first published in 1983 -
Goodbye California
3 editions - first published in 1981 -
H.M.S.Ulysses
3 editions - first published in 1955 -
Bear Island
3 editions - first published in 1981 -
The Dark Crusader
3 editions - first published in 1961 -
The Golden Gate
3 editions - first published in 1981 -
The Secret Ways
3 editions - first published in 1981 Borrow -
The secret ways
2 editions - first published in 1959 -
Theg uns of Navarone
2 editions - first published in 1978 -
Alistair Maclean's Hostage Tower
2 editions - first published in 1985 -
Santorini
2 editions - first published in 1986 -
High country
2 editions - first published in 1950 -
Night Without End
2 editions - first published in 1978 -
The Way to Dusty Death
2 editions - first published in 1981 -
Ice station Zebra
2 editions - first published in 1973 -
South by Java Head
2 editions - first published in 1981 -
Partisans
2 editions - first published in 1990 -
HMS Ulysses
2 editions - first published in 2004 -
Sterling Point Books
2 editions - first published in 2006 -
Night without end
2 editions - first published in 1969 -
The way to dusty death
2 editions - first published in 1974 -
Guns of Navarone
2 editions - first published in 1993 -
The Gaelic phono-grammar
2 editions - first published in 1932 -
When Eight Bells Toll
2 editions - first published in 1983 -
Night Without Fear
2 editions - first published in 1978 -
Athabasca
2 editions - first published in 1980 -
San Andreas
2 editions - first published in 1993 -
Dark Crusader
2 editions - first published in 1969 -
Force 10 from Navarone
2 editions - first published in 1981 -
Floodgate
2 editions - first published in 1984 -
The Last Frontier
2 editions - first published in 1988 -
Caravan to Vaccares
2 editions - first published in 1988 -
Golden Rendezvous
2 editions - first published in 1969 -
Circus
2 editions - first published in 1981 -
Circus
2 editions - first published in 1976 -
Way to Dusty Death
2 editions - first published in 1990 -
The Lonely Sea
2 editions - first published in 1986 -
Puppet on a Chain
2 editions - first published in 1981 -
The Black Shrike
1 edition - first published in 1961 -
Caravana
1 edition - first published in 1977 -
Guns of Navarone ; Force 10 from Navarone
1 edition - first published in 2000
Alistair MacLean
Close
Subjects
Fiction,
Protected DAISY,
Accessible book,
In library,
Fiction in English,
OverDrive,
Thriller,
World War, 1939-1945,
Terrorism,
Biological weapons,
British,
Detective and mystery stories,
Historical Fiction,
Literature,
Nazi hunters,
Special forces (Military science),
Treasure troves,
World War, 1939-1945 in fiction,
Biography,
Biography & Autobiography,
British in fiction,
Campaigns,
Crime,
Crime Thrillers,
Drama
Places
Links (outside Open Library)
Alternative names
- Ian Stuart
- Alistair Maclean
- Alistair MACLEAN
- Alistair MaClean
- MacLean Alistair
History Created April 1, 2008 · 5 revisions
| March 30, 2013 | Edited by Val Eni | merge authors |
| April 12, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Added photos to author pages. |
| January 14, 2009 | Edited by caf21 | Changed author name order, added pseudonym, added title, added fuller name, added to birth date, added to death date, added wikipedia link, added bio, added photo |
| August 30, 2008 | Edited by ImportBot | Found a matching record from Talis . |
| April 1, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | initial import |