Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy can count former President Ronald Reagan as being one of his best marketers. Indeed, the Gipper's comment that Clancy's first book was "the perfect yarn" and "non-put-downable" helped launch the author into a fame that has continued to this day.

Clancy has produced numerous military thrillers-five of them made into blockbuster movies-and non-fiction military books. Clancy has had a longstanding passion for naval history, but is not himself a veteran, having been turned down because of poor eyesight. He went instead into insurance sales until his novels became bestsellers.

Clancy has also created several universes in which other authors actually write the books using his characters and concepts. These universes include Op-Center, Net Force and Power Play.

Born in 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland, Clancy was an English major at Loyola College. He is now married with four kids whose privacy he fiercely guards.

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