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Robert Ludlum (1927–2001)

Author of The Bourne Identity

116+ Works 69,452 Members 672 Reviews 103 Favorited

About the Author

Robert Ludlum was born May 25, 1927 in New York City. He enlisted in the Marines at the age of eighteen and received a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1951. He began acting professionally at the age of sixteen in the 1943 Broadway production of Junior Miss. He also had roles in summer stock and show more appeared in over 200 television dramas for such live programs as Studio One and Kraft Television Theater. He then tried producing with the 1956 Broadway production of The Owl and the Pussycat. He took the play, four years later, to his creation of Shopping-Center Theater at Playhouse-on-the-Mall in Paramus, New Jersey. His first novel, The Scarlatti Inheritance, was published in 1971. His other works include The Matlock Paper, The Chancellor Manuscript, The Bourne Identity, The Scorpio Illusion, The Matarese Countdown, and The Bancroft Strategy. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd. He died on March 12, 2001 at the age of 74. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:

Distinction: Eric Van Lustbader wrote in the Jason Bourne series after Ludlum's death, but these books should be credited to Lustbader rather than to Ludlum.

Series

Works by Robert Ludlum

The Bourne Identity (1980) 9,835 copies
The Bourne Supremacy (1986) 6,479 copies
The Bourne Ultimatum (1990) — Author — 5,863 copies
The Matarese Circle (1979) 2,353 copies
The Icarus Agenda (1988) 2,309 copies
The Sigma Protocol (2001) 2,159 copies
The Prometheus Deception (2000) 2,050 copies
The Janson Directive (2002) 2,050 copies
The Parsifal Mosaic (1982) 2,011 copies
The Aquitaine Progression (1984) 1,994 copies
The Ambler Warning (2005) — Author — 1,905 copies
The Apocalypse Watch (1995) 1,778 copies
The Holcroft Covenant (1978) 1,675 copies
The Scorpio Illusion (1993) 1,671 copies
The Scarlatti Inheritance (1971) 1,597 copies
The Hades Factor (2000) 1,549 copies
The Road to Gandolfo (1975) 1,533 copies
The Chancellor Manuscript (1977) 1,503 copies
The Tristan Betrayal (2003) 1,445 copies
The Matarese Countdown (1997) 1,430 copies
The Road to Omaha (1992) 1,427 copies
The Rhinemann Exchange (1974) 1,415 copies
The Gemini Contenders (1976) 1,363 copies
The Osterman Weekend (1972) 1,361 copies
The Bancroft Strategy (2006) 1,347 copies
The Paris Option (2002) 1,246 copies
Trevayne (1973) 1,233 copies
The Cassandra Compact (2001) 1,210 copies
The Matlock Paper (1973) 1,208 copies
The Cry of the Halidon (1974) 1,173 copies
The Altman Code (2003) 1,106 copies
The Bourne Ultimatum [2007 film] (2007) — Author, original novel — 874 copies
The Bourne Trilogy (2003) 415 copies
The Patriot Attack (2014) 144 copies
The Osterman Weekend [1983 film] (1983) — Writer — 24 copies
ROBERT LUDLUM 4 copies
Enigma Bourne (2016) 2 copies

Associated Works

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Legacy (2005) — Series Creator — 2,257 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Betrayal (1980) — Series Creator — 1,624 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Deception (2009) — Series Creator — 1,186 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Lazarus Vendetta (2004) — Series Creator — 948 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Objective (2009) — Series Creator — 924 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Moscow Vector (2006) — Series Creator — 853 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Arctic Event (2007) — Series Creator — 845 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Dominion (2011) — Series Creator — 744 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Imperative (2012) — Series Creator — 576 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Ares Decision (2011) — Series Creator — 400 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Ascendancy (2014) — Series Creator — 387 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Retribution (2013) — Series Creator — 386 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Janson Command (2012) — Series Creator — 319 copies
The Utopia Experiment (2007) — Series Creator — 308 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Janus Reprisal (2012) — Series Creator — 275 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Geneva Strategy (1600) — Series Creator — 160 copies
Robert Ludlum's The Treadstone Resurrection (2019) — Series Creator — 146 copies
The Bourne Identity [1988 TV miniseries] (1993) — Original book — 19 copies
The Robert Ludlum Companion (1993) — Contributor — 17 copies
The Rhinemann Exchange [1977 TV mini-series] (1977) — Novel — 11 copies
Reader's Digest 2004, Selected Books (4-in-1) (2004) — Contributor — 2 copies
Readers Digest Het Beste Boek 227: 2004 (4-in-1) — Contributor, some editions — 1 copy

Tagged

action (515) action/adventure (130) adventure (843) assassins (151) audio (120) audiobook (141) Bourne (260) Bourne Series (133) calibre (105) CIA (140) conspiracy (178) Covert One (179) crime (173) DVD (119) ebook (280) espionage (1,783) fiction (6,723) first edition (119) hardcover (248) intrigue (202) Jason Bourne (396) Kindle (122) Ludlum (304) movie (115) mystery (1,294) mystery-thriller (169) novel (728) own (235) paperback (353) PB (170) read (631) Robert Ludlum (313) series (168) spy (1,133) spy fiction (174) spy thriller (237) suspense (1,410) thriller (4,659) to-read (2,152) unread (289)

Common Knowledge

Canonical name
Ludlum, Robert
Other names
Ryder, Jonathan (pseudonym)
Shepherd, Michael (pseudonym)
Birthdate
1927-05-25
Date of death
2001-03-12
Gender
male
Nationality
USA
Birthplace
New York, New York, USA
Place of death
Naples, Florida, USA
Cause of death
heart attack
Places of residence
Leonia, New Jersey, USA
Naples, Florida, USA
Education
Wesleyan University (BA|1951)
Cheshire Academy
The Rectory School
Occupations
actor
theatre director
novelist
Organizations
Alpha Delta Phi
United States Marine Corps
Short biography
Robert Ludlum's parents were: George Hartford Ludlum (father) and Margaret (née Wadsworth) Ludlum (mother).
Disambiguation notice
Distinction: Eric Van Lustbader wrote in the Jason Bourne series after Ludlum's death, but these books should be credited to Lustbader rather than to Ludlum.

Members

Reviews

 
Flagged
BooksInMirror | 13 other reviews | Feb 19, 2024 |
In my opinion, not one of Mr. Ludlum's best and not one of his worst novels. "The Gemini Contenders" The novel starts off in 1939 and follows the lives of the Fontini-Cristi family over the next several decades, as they navigate the mysteries of religious documents that, in the wrong hands, could endanger the faith of millions of Christians across the world. The plot is full of twists and turns, which keep the novel interesting. A bit graphic and violent at times. If you are a fan of World War II historical fiction and you haven't read this novel, you may wish to add it to your tbr list.… (more)
 
Flagged
AndreaHelena | 11 other reviews | Feb 13, 2024 |
Great book but a completely different story from the movie. Slightly disappointed with the ending.
 
Flagged
Barlycorn | 154 other reviews | Feb 11, 2024 |

Lists

Awards

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Statistics

Works
116
Also by
28
Members
69,452
Popularity
#189
Rating
½ 3.6
Reviews
672
ISBNs
2,286
Languages
31
Favorited
103

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