Douglas Preston
Encyclopedia
Douglas Preston is an American author who has written seventeen popular techno-thriller
and horror
novels, four alone and the rest with Lincoln Child
. He also has authored several non-fiction books, both alone and one with Italian
author Mario Spezi
.
, and Pomona College
in Claremont, California
, Preston began his writing career at the American Museum of Natural History
in New York
. In addition to his collaborations with Child, he has written several novels and non-fiction books of his own, mainly dealing with the history of the American Southwest. He is a contributing writer for Smithsonian
, The Atlantic Monthly
, and The New Yorker
magazines. He has two brothers: David Preston (a medical doctor) and Richard Preston
, also a best-selling fiction/non-fiction author.
Most of Preston's five nonfiction books and thirteen novel were bestsellers and have been translated into many languages. With his frequent collaborator, Lincoln Child, he has co-authored such bestselling thrillers as The Cabinet of Curiosities
, The Ice Limit
, Thunderhead
, Riptide
, Brimstone and Relic. Their novel, The Book of the Dead
, which came out in June 2006, was on the New York Times bestseller list
for six weeks. Preston writes about archeology for the New Yorker magazine and he has also been published in Smithsonian magazine, Harper's, and National Geographic. He is the recipient of numerous writing awards. He has created the character Wyman Ford
, an ex-CIA agent who appears in many of his solo novels.
From 1978 to 1985, Preston worked for the American Museum of Natural History
in New York City as a writer, editor, and manager of publications. He served as Managing Editor for the journal Curator and was a columnist for Natural History magazine. In 1985 he published a history of the museum, Dinosaurs In The Attic: An Excursion into the American Museum of Natural History, which chronicled the explorers and expeditions of the museum's early days.
In 1986 Preston moved to New Mexico
and began to write full-time. Seeking an understanding of the first moment of contact between Europeans and Indians in America, he retraced on horseback Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
's violent and unsuccessful search for the legendary Seven Cities of Gold
. That thousand mile journey across the American Southwest resulted in the book Cities of Gold: A Journey Across the American Southwest. Since that time Preston has undertaken many long horseback journeys retracing historic or prehistoric trails. He has also participated in expeditions in other parts of the world, including a journey deep into Khmer Rouge-held territory in the Cambodian jungle with a small army of soldiers, to be the first Westerner to visit a lost Angkor temple. He once had the thrill of being the first person in 3,000 years to enter an ancient Egyptian burial chamber in a tomb known as KV5 in the Valley of the Kings
.
Preston counts in his ancestry the newspaperman Horace Greeley
and the infamous murderer and opium
addict Amasa Greenough. He and his wife, Christine, live in Maine with their three children.
case. Both the case and his problems with the Italian authorities are the subject of his 2008 book: The Monster of Florence.
in the trial of American student Amanda Knox, one of three convicted of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher
in Perugia
in 2007. In April 2009, Preston appeared in a segment of 48 Hours
on CBS
, in which he argued that the case against Knox was "based on lies, superstition, and crazy conspiracy theories". In December 2009, after the verdict had been announced, he appeared on Anderson Cooper 360°
on CNN
and described his own interrogation by Mignini. Preston said of Mignini, "this is a very abusive prosecutor. He makes up theories. He's obsessed with satanic sects."
Techno-thriller
Techno-thrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from spy/action thrillers, fantasy/war novels, and science fiction...
and horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
novels, four alone and the rest with Lincoln Child
Lincoln Child
Lincoln Child is an author of seventeen techno-thriller and horror novels. He often writes with Douglas Preston. Many of their novels have become bestsellers, and one, Relic, was adapted into a feature film...
. He also has authored several non-fiction books, both alone and one with Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
author Mario Spezi
Mario Spezi
Mario Spezi is an award-winning Italian journalist and author. He wrote the non-fiction, true crime book, The Monster of Florence with American author Douglas Preston...
.
Biography
A graduate of the Cambridge School of Weston in Weston, MassachusettsWeston, Massachusetts
Weston is a suburb of Boston located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States in the Boston metro area. The population of Weston, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, is 11,261....
, and Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
in Claremont, California
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
, Preston began his writing career at the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In addition to his collaborations with Child, he has written several novels and non-fiction books of his own, mainly dealing with the history of the American Southwest. He is a contributing writer for Smithsonian
Smithsonian (magazine)
Smithsonian is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970.-History:...
, The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
, and The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazines. He has two brothers: David Preston (a medical doctor) and Richard Preston
Richard Preston
Richard Preston, born August 5, 1954 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., is a New Yorker writer and bestselling author perhaps best-known for his books about infectious disease epidemics and bioterrorism, although he has written other non-fiction works...
, also a best-selling fiction/non-fiction author.
Most of Preston's five nonfiction books and thirteen novel were bestsellers and have been translated into many languages. With his frequent collaborator, Lincoln Child, he has co-authored such bestselling thrillers as The Cabinet of Curiosities
The Cabinet of Curiosities
The Cabinet of Curiosities is a 2002 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.-Plot summary:Dr. Nora Kelly's life as an archeologist at New York City's American Museum of Natural History becomes complicated when Aloysius X. L...
, The Ice Limit
The Ice Limit
The Ice Limit is a 2000 techno-thriller novel by authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.-Plot summary:Meteorite hunter Nestor Masangkay arrives on Isla Desolación, a small island near Cape Horn in Chile, tracking a possible meteorite. Using a tomgraphic scanner, Masangkay confirms that not only...
, Thunderhead
Thunderhead (novel)
Thunderhead is a novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child about a woman named Nora Kelly who finds a letter that was written sixteen years ago, but mysteriously sent to her only recently. The letter is written by her father, long believed dead. The letter talks about a lost city of gold that...
, Riptide
Riptide (novel)
Riptide is a novel written by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston published in 1998 by Warner Books.The novel revolves around a plot to retrieve the buried treasure of nefarious pirate Red Ned Ockham. The treasure, which is estimated to be worth close to two billion dollars, reputedly includes "St...
, Brimstone and Relic. Their novel, The Book of the Dead
The Book of the Dead (novel)
The Book of the Dead is a novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It is the third and final installment to the trilogy concentrating on FBI Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast and his relationship with Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta in their pursuit to stop Pendergast's brother,...
, which came out in June 2006, was on the New York Times bestseller list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
for six weeks. Preston writes about archeology for the New Yorker magazine and he has also been published in Smithsonian magazine, Harper's, and National Geographic. He is the recipient of numerous writing awards. He has created the character Wyman Ford
Wyman Ford
Wyman Ford is a fictional character found in many of the solo novels by American author Douglas Preston.-Background:Ford was an agent in the Central Intelligence Agency for several years, all prior to his first appearance in literature. His wife was also a CIA agent, but she was killed when a car...
, an ex-CIA agent who appears in many of his solo novels.
From 1978 to 1985, Preston worked for the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
in New York City as a writer, editor, and manager of publications. He served as Managing Editor for the journal Curator and was a columnist for Natural History magazine. In 1985 he published a history of the museum, Dinosaurs In The Attic: An Excursion into the American Museum of Natural History, which chronicled the explorers and expeditions of the museum's early days.
In 1986 Preston moved to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and began to write full-time. Seeking an understanding of the first moment of contact between Europeans and Indians in America, he retraced on horseback Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado y Luján was a Spanish conquistador, who visited New Mexico and other parts of what are now the southwestern United States between 1540 and 1542...
's violent and unsuccessful search for the legendary Seven Cities of Gold
Seven Cities of Gold
Seven Cities of Gold may refer to:* Seven Cities of Gold , seven cities in Spanish mythology* Seven Cities of Gold , starring Richard Egan * The Seven Cities of Gold , an award-winning adventure game...
. That thousand mile journey across the American Southwest resulted in the book Cities of Gold: A Journey Across the American Southwest. Since that time Preston has undertaken many long horseback journeys retracing historic or prehistoric trails. He has also participated in expeditions in other parts of the world, including a journey deep into Khmer Rouge-held territory in the Cambodian jungle with a small army of soldiers, to be the first Westerner to visit a lost Angkor temple. He once had the thrill of being the first person in 3,000 years to enter an ancient Egyptian burial chamber in a tomb known as KV5 in the Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings , less often called the Valley of the Gates of the Kings , is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom .The valley stands on the west bank of...
.
Preston counts in his ancestry the newspaperman Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley was an American newspaper editor, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, a politician, and an outspoken opponent of slavery...
and the infamous murderer and opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
addict Amasa Greenough. He and his wife, Christine, live in Maine with their three children.
Involvement in the "Monster of Florence" case
Preston moved to Florence, Italy with his young family and became fascinated with an unsolved local murder mystery involving a serial killer, the Monster of FlorenceMonster of Florence
The Monster of Florence, also known as Il Mostro, is an epithet commonly used for the perpetrator, or the perpetrators, of 16 murders that took place between 1968 and 1985 in the province of Florence, Italy...
case. Both the case and his problems with the Italian authorities are the subject of his 2008 book: The Monster of Florence.
Involvement in the Amanda Knox case
Preston has criticized the conduct of Italian prosecutor Giuliano MigniniGiuliano Mignini
Giuliano Mignini is a public prosecutor in Perugia, Italy, who came to widespread public attention for his role in investigating the murder of Meredith Kercher in November 2007, and for his subsequent prosecution for murder of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, whose convictions were overturned...
in the trial of American student Amanda Knox, one of three convicted of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher
Murder of Meredith Kercher
The murder of Meredith Kercher occurred in Perugia, Italy, on 1 November 2007. Kercher, aged 21 at the time of her death, was a British university exchange student from Coulsdon, south London. She was found dead on the floor of her bedroom with stab wounds to the throat...
in Perugia
Perugia
Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....
in 2007. In April 2009, Preston appeared in a segment of 48 Hours
48 Hours (TV series)
48 Hours is a documentary and news program broadcast on the CBS television network since January 19, 1988. The program originally presented documentaries of various events related to a particular subject occurring within a 48-hour period, and is credited as one of the first to air a "reality show"...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, in which he argued that the case against Knox was "based on lies, superstition, and crazy conspiracy theories". In December 2009, after the verdict had been announced, he appeared on Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360° is a one-hour television news show on CNN, hosted by the American journalist Anderson Cooper. It is also broadcast around the world on CNN International....
on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and described his own interrogation by Mignini. Preston said of Mignini, "this is a very abusive prosecutor. He makes up theories. He's obsessed with satanic sects."
Fiction
- JennieJennie (novel)Jennie is a novel by American author Douglas Preston published in 1994.-Plot summary:Jennie is a chimpanzee, living in the 1970s.Naturalist Dr. Hugo Archibald delivers Jennie from her dying mother in the Cameroons and brings her home to his American family. His young son, Sandy, becomes extremely...
(1994) - The CodexThe Codex (novel)The Codex is a 2004 novel by Douglas Preston and takes place in the Southwestern United States and Central America.The main story is about Max Broadbent, who is an eccentric rich man with terminal cancer, who likes to collect valuable art and treasures...
(2004) - Tyrannosaur CanyonTyrannosaur CanyonTyrannosaur Canyon is a 2005 novel by Douglas Preston. The story revolves around the search for a mysterious item buried in the New Mexico desert.-Plot summary:The novel opens with a lunar find by the Apollo 17 astronauts, which is suppressed....
(2005) - BlasphemyBlasphemy (novel)-Plot summary:Isabella, a powerful particle accelerator has been constructed in Red Mesa in the remote Arizona desert, the most expensive machine ever built by science. A team of scientists under the direction of a charismatic Nobel Laureate, Gregory North Hazelius, experience trouble, and the...
(2008) - ImpactImpact (novel)-Plot summary:Wyman Ford returns to investigate a mysterious source of gemstones and instead uncovers evidence of an unusual impact crater. Weaving seemingly separate stories of Wyman Ford's engagement by the government to investigate a meteorite's crater in Cambodia, a Mars Mission scientist's...
(2010)
Non-fiction
- 1986 Dinosaurs In The Attic: An Excursion into the American Museum of Natural History
- 1988 Death Trap Defies Treasure Seekers for Two Centuries
- 1992 Cities of Gold: A Journey Across the American Southwest in Pursuit of Coronado
- 1996 Talking to the Ground: One Family's Journey on Horseback Across the Sacred Land of the Navajo
- 2004 We throw stones, not Quarks (essay that later became his solo novel "Blasphemy")
The Pendergast novels
- Relic (1995)
- ReliquaryReliquary (novel)Reliquary is the 1997 New York Times best-selling sequel to Relic, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The legacy of the blood-maddened Mbwun lives on in "Reliquary", but the focus is shifted from the original museum setting to the tunnels beneath the streets of New York City.-Plot summary:The...
(1997) - The Cabinet of CuriositiesThe Cabinet of CuriositiesThe Cabinet of Curiosities is a 2002 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.-Plot summary:Dr. Nora Kelly's life as an archeologist at New York City's American Museum of Natural History becomes complicated when Aloysius X. L...
(2002) - Still Life with CrowsStill Life with CrowsStill Life with Crows is a 2003 thriller novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It is the fourth novel to feature FBI Special Agent Pendergast as protagonist....
(2003) - "Diogenes Trilogy"
- Brimstone (2004)
- Dance of DeathDance of Death (novel)Dance of Death is a 2005 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It is the second book in a trilogy: the first book is Brimstone, released in 2004, and the last book is The Book of the Dead, released in 2006.-Synopsis:...
(2005) - The Book of the DeadThe Book of the Dead (novel)The Book of the Dead is a novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It is the third and final installment to the trilogy concentrating on FBI Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast and his relationship with Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta in their pursuit to stop Pendergast's brother,...
(2006)
- The Wheel of DarknessThe Wheel of DarknessThe Wheel of Darkness is a 2007 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It entered The New York Times Best Seller list at number two on September 16, 2007, and remained on the list for five weeks.-Plot summary:...
(2007) - Cemetery DanceCemetery Dance (novel)Cemetery Dance is the name of a novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. During production, it was known by the pre-release title Revenant...
(2009) - "Helen Trilogy"
- Fever DreamFever Dream (novel)Fever Dream is a novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It was released on May 11, 2010. The preceding novel is Cemetery Dance, and it is followed by Cold Vengeance.-Plot:...
(2010) - Cold Vengeance (2011)
- Fever Dream
Other novels
- Mount DragonMount DragonMount Dragon is a 1996 techno-thriller novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The action primarily follows Guy Carson and Susana Cabeza de Vaca, two researchers employed by the corporation GeneDyne and stationed at the Mount Dragon facility in New Mexico...
(1996) - RiptideRiptide (novel)Riptide is a novel written by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston published in 1998 by Warner Books.The novel revolves around a plot to retrieve the buried treasure of nefarious pirate Red Ned Ockham. The treasure, which is estimated to be worth close to two billion dollars, reputedly includes "St...
(1998) - ThunderheadThunderhead (novel)Thunderhead is a novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child about a woman named Nora Kelly who finds a letter that was written sixteen years ago, but mysteriously sent to her only recently. The letter is written by her father, long believed dead. The letter talks about a lost city of gold that...
(1999) - The Ice LimitThe Ice LimitThe Ice Limit is a 2000 techno-thriller novel by authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.-Plot summary:Meteorite hunter Nestor Masangkay arrives on Isla Desolación, a small island near Cape Horn in Chile, tracking a possible meteorite. Using a tomgraphic scanner, Masangkay confirms that not only...
(2000)
External links
- The Official Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child website
- Interview with Douglas Preston on BookBanter
- Interview with Douglas Preston on Class-B.net
- Interview with Douglas Preston on Crimecritics.com