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Eric Ambler (1909–1998)

Author of The Mask of Dimitrios

Includes the names: Eliot Reed, Eric Ambler, Ambler Erik, éric ambler, ed. Eric Ambler, Eric ed. Ambler, Eric - Introduction By Ambler

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Eric Ambler was born in London on June 28, 1909. Ambler toured in the late 1920s as a music-hall comedian and wrote plays, following in the footsteps of his parents, who were entertainers. After studying engineering at London University from 1924 to 1927, he took an apprenticeship in engineering at the Edison Swan Electric Company. When the company became part of Associated Electrical Industries, he worked in its advertising department and wrote avant-garde plays in his spare time. By 1937 he was the director of a London ad agency. He later resigned and moved to Paris where he dedicated himself to writing. In 1936, his first novel, The Dark Frontier, appeared and followed by another five by 1940, as well as working as script consultant for Alexander Korda. During World War II he joined first the artillery and was then later posted to a combat photographic unit. He served in Italy as assistant director of army cinematography and during this period, wrote and produced nearly one hundred training and propaganda films. After the war Ambler was screenwriter for the Rank organization and starting from 1951 he published a number of novels with Charles Rodda under the pseudonym Eliot Reed. Several of his novels were made into films, including A Coffin for Dimitrios in 1944, Journey into Fear in 1942, and Topkapi in 1964. Ambler also wrote screenplays, including those for The Cruel Sea in 1953 and The Guns of Navarone in 1961. In the 1960s he moved to Hollywood and was responsible for the TV shows Checkmate and The Most Deadly Game. Ambler received the Gold Dagger in 1959 for Passage of Arms, in 1967 for Dirty Story and in 1972 for The Levanter. He also received the Diamond Dagger in 1986 plus an Edgar in 1964 for The Light of Day and was nominated Grand Master in 1975. Ambler was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1981, and received other literary awards in France and Sweden. He died in London in October 1998. Ambler published 23 novels total, 19 under his own name and four in collaboration Eric Amber died in London on October 22, 1998, at the age of 89. (Bowker Author Biography) — biography from The Mask of Dimitrios… (more)
Series
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Works by Eric Ambler
The Mask of Dimitrios 1,780 copies, 50 reviews
Journey into Fear 811 copies, 16 reviews
Epitaph for a Spy 719 copies, 18 reviews
The Light of Day 596 copies, 12 reviews
Cause for Alarm 524 copies, 10 reviews
Uncommon Danger 456 copies, 6 reviews
The Schirmer Inheritance 345 copies, 7 reviews
Passage of Arms 334 copies, 5 reviews
Judgment on Deltchev 325 copies, 8 reviews
The Levanter 319 copies, 8 reviews
State of Siege 296 copies, 5 reviews
A Kind of Anger 233 copies, 5 reviews
The Dark Frontier 224 copies, 2 reviews
The Care of Time 223 copies, 5 reviews
Doctor Frigo 209 copies, 6 reviews
The Intercom Conspiracy 197 copies, 3 reviews
Send No More Roses 193 copies, 2 reviews
Dirty Story 185 copies, 4 reviews
Great Cases of Scotland Yard 121 copies, 4 reviews
Here Lies 75 copies, 1 review
A Night to Remember [1958 film] (Screenwriter) 70 copies
Ability to Kill 65 copies, 1 review
Intrigue: The Great Spy Novels of Eric Ambler: Journey Into Fear; A Coffin… 56 copies, 1 review
Oliver Twist [1948 film] (Writer) 50 copies, 2 reviews
To Catch a Spy: An Anthology of Favourite Spy Stories (Contributor) 41 copies
A Coffin for Dimitrios/Judgement on Deltchev/Passage of Arms: Three… 31 copies
Waiting for Orders 31 copies, 2 reviews
Great Cases of Scotland Yard, Volume One (1): THOMAS NEILL, CREAM,… (Introduction) 31 copies
Great Cases of Scotland Yard Volume Two 26 copies
Tender To Danger 24 copies, 1 review
The Maras Affair 23 copies
The Intriguers 23 copies
The Cruel Sea [1953 film] (Screenwriter) 23 copies
Selected Works 22 copies
The Light of Day | Dirty Story 15 copies
The Purple Plain [1954 film] (Writer) 14 copies, 2 reviews
Modern Classics of Suspense: Rebecca, Death and the Sky Above, The Thin… 14 copies
Skytip 13 copies
Passport to Panic 13 copies
The Story So Far: Memories and Other Fictions 12 copies
A Coffin for Dimitrios / Journey Into Fear / The Light of Day 12 copies
Charter to Danger 10 copies
The Mask of Dimitrios | Strangers on a Train | The Big Sleep 8 copies
Das große Krimi- Lesebuch. 7 copies
Omnibus 6 copies
Great Mystery Books, 10 Volumes (Journey into Fear, The 39 Steps, And Then… (Contributor) 5 copies
The Card [1952 film] (Writer) 5 copies
The Passionate Friends [1949 film] (Screenwriter) 4 copies
The Army of the Shadows 4 copies
The Night-Comers | The Levanter | Judgment on Deltchev 3 copies
Schach dem Verbrechen. Authentische Fälle aus den Archiven von Scotland… 2 copies
The Blood Bargain [short story] 2 copies
Judgement on Deltchev | Epitaph for a Spy | The Schirmer Inheritance 2 copies, 1 review
Mr. Bulmer's Golden Carp [short story] 2 copies
Yangtse Incident [1957 film] (Screenwriter) 2 copies, 1 review
No Envie Mas Rosas 1 copy
Highly Dangerous [1950 film] (Screenwriter) 1 copy
The October Man [1947 film] 1 copy
Eric Ambler's Double Decker (Cause for Alarm | Background to Danger) 1 copy
Insolito peligro 1 copy
El proceso Beltchev 1 copy
Gün Isigi 1 copy
Epätavallinen vaara 1 copy
Epitáfio para um Espião - eBook 1 copy
El paso del tiempo 1 copy
The Seige of Villa Lipp 1 copy
Belgrade, 1926 [Short story] 1 copy
The Classic Eric Ambler Box Set (The Care of Time, The Schirmer… 1 copy
Tocaia grande 1 copy
Ambler Eric 1 copy
Cloak And Dagger 1 copy
70 hodin pro špiona 1 copy
The Intrusions of Doctor Czissar (Mystery Collection) 1 copy
Correndo Contra o Tempo 1 copy
تابوتی برای دیمتریوس 1 copy
Η μάσκα του… 1 copy
ΒΡΟΜΙΚΗ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ 1 copy
Viagem para o Medo - eBook 1 copy
Journey into Fear, The 39 Steps, And Then There Were None, The Maltese… 1 copy
Viagem para o Medo 1 copy
O LEVANTINO 1 copy
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Also by Eric Ambler
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Introduction, some editions) 15,020 copies, 244 reviews
The Spy's Bedside Book (Contributor) 338 copies, 1 review
A Treasury of Great Mysteries (Volumes 1 & 2) (Contributor) 260 copies, 3 reviews
A Treasury of Great Mysteries (Volume 1) (Contributor) 198 copies
Masterpieces of Mystery and Suspense (Contributor) 183 copies, 2 reviews
The Book of Spies: An Anthology of Literary Espionage (Contributor) 166 copies, 5 reviews
The Oxford Book of Villains (Contributor) 133 copies
Great Spy Stories From Fiction (Contributor, some editions) 73 copies
2nd Culprit: A Crime Writers' Association Annual (Contributor) 64 copies, 1 review
Great Tales of Mystery and Suspense (Contributor) 60 copies
Five Spy Novels (Contributor) 55 copies, 1 review
The Arbor House Treasury of Mystery and Suspense (Contributor) 51 copies
Cloak and Dagger: A Treasury of 35 Great Espionage Stories (Contributor) 43 copies
65 Great Murder Mysteries (Contributor) 41 copies
Mysterious Pleasures (Contributor) 33 copies, 2 reviews
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Common Knowledge
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Canonical name
Legal name
Ambler, Eric Clifford
Other names
Reed, Eliot
Date of birth
1909-06-28
Date of death
1998-10-22
Burial location
Gender
male
Nationality
UK
Country (for map)
England, UK
Birthplace
London, England, UK
Place of death
London, England, UK
Cause of death
Places of residence
Paris, France
Switzerland
Education
University of London
Occupations
scriptwriter
novelist
Relationships
Agents
Organizations
British Army (Filmmaking unit)
Awards and honors
Cartier Diamond Dagger (1986)
MWA Grand Master (1975)
Order of the British Empire (Officer, 1981)
Short biography
Eric Ambler was born in London in 1909. Before turning to writing full-time, he worked at an engineering firm and wrote copy for an advertising agency. His first novel was published in 1936. He was awarded two Gold Daggers, a Silver Dagger, and a Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain, was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers Association of America, and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth. In addition to his novels, Ambler wrote a number of screenplays, including A Night to Remember and The Cruel Sea, which won him an Oscar nomination. Eric Ambler died in 1998.
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