Clive Cussler is one of the most well-known adventure novelists of the 20th and 21st centuries. His books have been on The New York Times best fiction best seller list over 20 times and he has authored or co-authored over 80 books during the past five decades. His best novels include Raise the Titanic!, Sahara, Plague Ship, Atlantis Found and Inca Gold. He also helped create the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) and discovered over 60 shipwrecks. His name is well-known among adventure writers even after his passing. Cussler lived an interesting and literature-focused life, creating new adventures for people of all ages to enjoy.
Cussler grew up in Alhambra, California, and earned the Eagle Scout rank at 14. A hard-working and focused person, he joined the USAF during the Korean War and served as an aircraft mechanic and flight engineer for the Military Air Transport Service. He earned the rank of sergeant, and after he left the service, he began work as a copywriter. He moved up to being a creative director for two prominent advertising agencies. He also produced radio and TV commercials, which won awards, including the prestigious Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. His writing career started in 1965 during his free time in the evenings. As his wife worked late and his kids were in bed, he created the highly intelligent and adventurous Dirk Pitt, who explored lost civilizations and dealt with the world of intrigue and what could have happened in the past. His first two novels, The Mediterranean Caper and Iceberg, were good, however, his big hit that put him on the map was Raise the Titanic!, which established his reputation as an exciting adventure novelist with a focus on advanced technology, unforgettable villains, lost treasure and beautiful women. Cussler created Indiana Jones meets James Bond, before Raiders of the Lost Ark was made. Through his career, Cussler had 17 of his books on The New York Times fiction best seller list.
During his writing career, Cussler became interested in underwater exploration and initiated NUMA, a non-profit organization with the same name as his lead character Dirk Pitt’s employer in his novels. Two of his most noteworthy discoveries included the RMS Carpathia, the first ship to come to the aid of the Titanic, and the CSS Manassas, an ironclad warship of the Civil War. The about 90 shipwrecks that NUMA has discovered and documented are listed on the firm’s site. Cussler loved exploration and hunting for buried treasure. Connected to the NUMA site is a link to Cussler’s car collection. He seemed to enjoy the high seas and classic autos with an appearance of near equal passion. The link to his automobile collection and museum displays his passion for such classics as Dusenbergs, Packards, Stutzs, Meteors, Cadillacs, Mercedes Benzs, Lincolns, Cords, Auburns, Bugattis, Studebakers and many more. He seemed to like the old Hollywood movie star and gangster type of autos.
Cussler’s works were so good and best-selling that they were adapted into feature films with the stars of their day. Two of his books were adapted for the silver screen, including Raise the Titanic!, starring Richard Jordan as Cussler’s eponymous lead Dirk Pitt and decorated WWII veteran actor Jason Robards. The second big production of his novels is Sahara, with Matthew McConaughey as Dirk Pitt and Penelope Cruz. Sahara fared decently at the box office and earned around $200M, however, the film did not do as well as people would have thought. Cussler pressed on with his literary works and his final novels are Celtic Empire, The Devil’s Sea and The Corsican Shadow. Two of which were published posthumously.
Cussler lived an adventurous and interesting life through his novels. His writing work led to undersea exploration, seeing the globe and collecting beautiful cars from earlier eras to share with the public. Cussler did very well in life and started his adulthood in the USAF. He left a lifetime of literary works, adventures to explore and cool cars to see. He passed away in February 2020 at the age of 88.