Sidney Sheldon Books

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Sidney Sheldon was an American writer who pursued a long and successful career in the television and movie business before finally turning his attention to the publishing industry. Born in Chicago in 1917, his original surname was ‘Schechtel’.

Otto, his father, managed a jewelry store. His mother was Natalie Marcus. The couple had Russian Jewish roots. A former student of East High School and Northwestern University, Sidney had the misfortune of growing up during the great depression. He was forced to do numerous odd jobs to get by.

He relied on a scholarship to attend University. But his studies ended prematurely. His family needed all the help they could get, so Sidney dropped out to help out where he could. His involvement in the arts began at a young age.

The author, who eventually joined the Army Air Corps during WWII, was just ten when he wrote and sold a poem for $10. In the 1930s, he began working in Hollywood. Though, at the time, he was primarily reviewing scripts. His diligence afforded him the opportunity to work on a few B movies.

But the author wasn’t content with his achievements up to that point and he kept striving for more, eventually making his way to Broadway from where he wrote musicals. By this point in time, Sidney Sheldon had made quite the name for himself. The industry knew him as a prolific writer that studios like MGM and Paramount had contracted on multiple occasions.

After achieving immense success on the Broadway Stage, Sidney jumped over to Film, securing an Academy Award for his work on ‘The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer’. Though he contributed his talents to a variety of films in the years that followed, Television eventually lured him away.

After realizing that the medium was gaining popularity, he spent seven years writing every episode of ‘The Patty Duke Show’. Other notable achievements in the field include writing for ‘I Dream of Jeannie’, ‘Nancy’, and ‘Hart to Hart’.

It was during the production of ‘I Dream of Jeannie’, specifically its final year, that Sidney Sheldon finally sat down to write his first novel. It was called ‘The Naked Face’ and he wrote it every single day from morning to noon. During those hours, he used his secretary as a buffer to insulate him from all the calls he normally got.

He would only tackle his Television duties later in the day, after accomplishing his writing goals for the day. Sidney’s first novel was a critical hit. His second book was a New York Times Bestseller. His work attracted a predominantly female audience. Sidney imputed this phenomenon to the fact that many of his protagonists were strong, capable, but feminine women.

The author died in 2007 at the age of 89. The cause was pneumonia. He was married three times. His first marriage to Jane Kaufman Harding ended in divorce. He stayed with his second wife, Jorja Curtright, for 30 years before she died in 1985. His third wife was Alexandra Joyce Kostoff.

Sidney Sheldon Awards

Sidney was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award for ‘The Naked Face’.

Sidney Sheldon Books into Movies

‘Master of the Game’, ‘Memories of Midnight’, ‘If Tomorrow Comes’, ‘Windmills of the Gods’, and ‘Rage of Angels’ became miniseries. ‘The Naked Face’, ‘The Other Side of Midnight’, and ‘Bloodline’ received movie adaptations.

Best Sidney Sheldon Books

Even though he achieved immense success in movies, television, and broadway, books were Sidney Sheldon’s favorite medium, with some of the best titles in his bibliography including:

If Tomorrow Comes: Tracy Whitney had everything a woman in her era could want. She was young and through marriage, she was about to secure all the wealth and glamour a person could desire. She did not expect the betrayal that ultimately came her way. Abandoned by the man she loved and framed by a mafia gang, the only thing Tracy can rely on is her wits and courage.

Master of the Game: Kate Blackwell is a rich and powerful woman, one of the richest and most powerful. But her life hasn’t been an easy one. Her renown is such that, during her 90th birthday, she received greetings from a Supreme Court Judge and the White House. But such power comes with a price. One of Sidney Sheldon’s most beloved works, this novel delves into the lives of four generations of a greedy, lustful family.

When Does The Next Sidney Sheldon book come out?

Sidney Sheldon doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is The Phoenix and was released on June, 13th 2019.

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