Topics: C : Clancy, Tom

Tom Clancy was an insurance broker with a passion for naval history who dreamed of writing a novel. In 1984, his first effort, The Hunt for Red October -- about a Russian submarine captain who defects, along with his sub, to the United States -- catapulted onto the New York Times best-seller list after U.S. President Reagan pronounced it "non-put-downable." Clancy, who originated the literary genre known as the techo-thriller, has since established himself as a master at building realistic fictional scenarios by "turning up the volume" on current events.