Jeffrey Archer

Jeffrey Archer

Jeffrey Archer is a best-selling author and former politician.

All of his novels and short story collections---including And Thereby Hangs a Tale, Kane and Abel, Paths of Glory and False Impression ---have been international bestselling books. Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare was born on 15 April 1940. Alongside his literary work, he was a Member of Parliament (1969 to 74), deputy chairman of the Conservative Party (1985 to 86) and was made a life peer in 1992. He began a career in politics, serving as a Conservative councillor on the Greater London Council during 1967–70. At 29, he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for the Lincolnshire constituency of Louth, holding the seat for the Conservative Party in a by-election on 4 December 1969. His first book, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, was picked up by the literary agent Deborah Owen and published first in the US, then eventually in Britain in the Autumn of 1976. The book was an instant success. Kane and Abel proved to be his best-selling work, reaching number one on the New York Times bestsellers list. It was made into a television mini-series by CBS in 1985, starring Peter Strauss and Sam Neill. The following year, Granada TV screened a ten-part adaptation of another of his bestsellers, First Among Equals, which told the story of four men and their quest to become Prime Minister. In 2011, Jeffrey published the first of five books in The Clifton Chronicles, which follow the life of Harry Clifton from his birth in 1920, through to the finale in 2020. Only Time Will Tell tells the story of Harry from 1920 through to 1940 and was published in the UK on 12 May 2011.