Alistair MacLean

A day in the life of…

Our very own Natasha Hughes, Editorial Assistant for Estates   So, I’m going to try and make this as cool as I can, and lay off the narcissism as much as possible when talking about oneself. I have worked at HarperCollins for nearly two years, as part of the Estates team in Harper Fiction, which involves working on Agatha Christie, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ngaio Marsh, Alistair MacLean, Simon Tolkien and many others. My job mainly involves reinvigorating classic titles for a modern audience, working on new authors (such as Simon Tolkien), and creating illustrated film tie-in books around the forthcoming Hobbit movie trilogy. A brief run through of how I got here: After studying English Literature and Philosophy at Keele University I undertook a Masters degree In English Lit at Warwick. Whilst doing my MA, I found work experience at a small publishing house in nearby Leamington Spa, before going on to Quercus, MacLehose Press, Penguin and then HC! Read More

Desmond Bagley

Desmond Bagley was one of a group of writers including Alistair MacLean and Jack Higgins who contributed greatly to the modern concept of action thrillers. Read More

Alistair MacLean

Alistair MacLean, the son of a Scots minister, was brought up in the Scottish Highlands. In 1941 he joined the Royal Navy. After the war he read English at Glasgow University and became a… Read More