The Dream Merchants by Robbins, Harold - 1949

From the author of The New York Times number one bestseller The Carpetbaggers comes a novel of passion, intrigue, power, and money.
With 11 weeks on The New York Times best sellers list, The Dream Merchants provides a fascinating look at the early days of the world's most glamorous industry—Hollywood. It was the latest "gold rush"—when ambitious, if unscrupulous, men and women flooded California to turn cinematic dreams into reality, regardless of the moral cost. Johnny Edge, a former carnival barker, schemes and plots his way to the top while Peter Kessler turns his back on a staid life of small-town stability to stake his fortune on the movie business. Beautiful starlet Dulcie Warren is willing to use her sexuality and to play dirty to get to the top, if that's what it takes.

When the lives of these three ambitious, determined characters collide, they have the potential to build a dream—or shatter one to pieces.
More than 25 New York Times bestsellers later—many reaching the #1 spot—and with over 750 million copies sold to date, Harold Robbins became one of the most successful authors of all time.

Harold Robbins (1916-1997) is one of the best-selling American fiction writers of all time, ranking 5th on the World's Best-Selling Fiction Author List just behind William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. He wrote over 25 bestselling novels, sold more than 750 million copies in 42 languages, and spent over 300 weeks combined on The New York Times bestseller list. His books were adapted into 13 successful films and television series that garnered numerous Oscar® and Golden Globe® nominations starring Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley, Laurence Olivier, Bette Davis, Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, and more. Robbins' personal life was as fascinating to the public as his novels. An enthusiastic participant in the social and sexual revolution of the 1960s, Robbins cultivated a "playboy" image and maintained friendships with stars including Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood, Tony Bennett, and Sammy Davis, Jr., and was one of the first novelists to be prominently featured in gossip magazines, earning him the title of "The World's First Rock Star Author."