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VJ Books presents Anthony Horowitz!

Anthony Horowitz was born in 1956 in Stanmore, Middlesex, into a rich family. Raised in an upper-class lifestyle, his father acted as a "fixer" for prime minister Harold Wilson. Facing bankruptcy, Horowitz's father removed his wealth from his bank accounts and hid it away under a pseudonym. He then died and the family was never able to track down the missing money despite years of trying. As an unhappy and overweight child, Horowitz enjoyed reading books from his father's library.

At the age of eight, Horowitz was sent to the boarding school Orley Farm in Harrow, London. There, he entertained his peers by telling them the stories he had read. Horowitz described his time in the school as "a brutal experience", often whipped by the headmaster. Horowitz adored his mother, who introduced him to Frankenstein and Dracula. From the age of eight, Horowitz knew he wanted to be a writer, realizing "the only time when I'm totally happy is when I'm writing".

To relieve his misery and that of the other boys, he not unsurprisingly made up tales of astounding revenge and retribution. So how did an unhappy boy, from a privileged background, metamorphose into the creator of Alex Rider, fourteen-year-old spy for Britain's MI6? Although his childhood permanently damaged him, it also gave him a gift — it provided him with rich source material for his writing career. He found solace in boyhood in the escapism of the James Bond films, he says. He claims that his two sons now watch the James Bond films with the same tremendous enjoyment he did at their age.

The highly successful Alex Rider novels include Stormbreaker, Point Blank, Skeleton Key, Eagle Strike, Scorpia, Ark Angel and the forthcoming Snakehead. Anthony Horowitz is perhaps the busiest writer in England. He has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty. He writes in a comfortable shed in his garden for up to ten hours per day.

Horowitz now lives in North London with his wife Jill Green, whom he married in Hong Kong on 15 April 1988. Green produces Foyle's War, the series Horowitz writes for ITV. They have two sons, Nicholas Mark (born 1989) and Cassian James (born 1991). He credits his family with much of his success in writing, as he says they help him with ideas and research.

In addition to the Alex Rider books, he has also written episodes of several popular TV crime series, including Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders and Murder Most Horrid. He has written a television series Foyle's War, which recently aired in the United States, and he has written the libretto of a Broadway musical adapted from Dr. Seuss's book, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. His film script The Gathering has just finished production. And…oh yes…there are more Alex Rider novels in the works.

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Horowitz, Anthony - Point Blank (Advance Reading Copy)

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VJ Books Price $15.99

Advance reading copy, mint, new/unread in flawless pictorial wrappers.

Horowitz, Anthony - House of Silk (1st, UK)

Horowitz, Anthony - Sherlock Holmes: The House of Silk (UK 1st , Signed)

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VJ Books Price $89.99

First Edition UK Hardcover. November 2011 LON: ORION First UK edition, first printing, mint, new/unread in a flawless dust jacket, signed by the author. Each dust jacket is protected in an acid-free archival quality acetate cover.

Horowitz, Anthony - Sherlock Holmes: The House of Silk (UK 1st Edition)

Usually Ships in 24 to 72 Hours
VJ Books Price $31.99

First Edition UK Hardcover. November 2011 LON: ORION First UK edition, first printing, mint, new/unread in a flawless dust jacket. Each dust jacket is protected in an acid-free archival quality acetate cover.

Anthony Horowitz Bibliography (Partial List)

Alex Rider Series

· Stormbreaker

· Point Blanc

· Skeleton Key

· Eagle Strike

· Scorpia

· Ark Angel

· Snakehead

· Crocodile Tears

The Power of Five Series

· Raven’s Gate

· Evil Star

· Night Rise

· Necropolis

The Diamond Brothers Series

· The Falcon’s Malteser

· Public Enemy Number Two

· South by South East

· The French Connection

· The Blurred Man

· I Know What You Did Last Wednesday

· Three of Diamonds

· The Greek Who Stole Christmas