'Breathtaking. Only terms like colossal, gigantic, titanic, unbelievable, gargantuan are properly descriptive' -- Chicago Tribune 'Seethes with drama, sex, crime ... Clavell is, as always, a matchless talespinner' -- Cosmopolitan 'A grand drama, with the glamour, mystique and perils of the Orient ... it has such breadth and power that at the end you will want to start at the beginning again.' -- Manchester Evening News 'NOBLE HOUSE totally fulfils the function of a novel, taking me out of myself and transporting me into a majestic sweep of intrigue and excitement' -- David Niven 'Fiction for addicts ... A book that you can get lost in for weeks. Not only is it as long as life, it's also as rich with possibilities' -- New York Times

James Clavell, the son of a Royal Navy family, was educated in Portsmouth before, as a young artillery officer, he was captured by the Japanese at the Fall of Singapore. It was on this experience that his bestselling novel KING RAT was based. He maintained this oriental interest in his other great works: TAI-PAN, SHOGUN, NOBLE HOUSE and GAI JIN.