Lanny Budd Series by Upton Sinclair
Lanny Budd #1
World's End
Upton Sinclair
World's End is the first novel in Upton Sinclair's Lanny Budd series. First published in 1940, the story covers the period from 1913 to 1919. This is the beginning of a monumental 7,340 page novel, the story of Lanny Budd, a young American, beginning in Europe in 1913. It is also an intimate record of a great world which fell victim to its own civilization. A new world was about to be born.
Read online
Lanny Budd #2
Lanny Budd #3
Dragon's Teeth
Upton Sinclair
Pulitzer Prize Winner: An American in Germany fights against the rising tide of Nazi terror in this monumental saga of twentieth-century world history.
In the wake of the 1929 stock market crash, Lanny Budd’s financial acumen and his marriage into great wealth enable him to continue the lifestyle he has always enjoyed. But the devastation the collapse has wrought on ordinary citizens has only strengthened Lanny’s socialist ideals—much to the chagrin of his heiress wife, Irma, a confirmed capitalist.
In Germany to visit relatives, Lanny encounters a disturbing atmosphere of hatred and jingoism. His concern over the growing popularity of the Nazi Party escalates when he meets Adolf Hitler, the group’s fanatical leader, and the members of his inner circle. But Lanny’s gravest fear is the threat a national socialist government poses to the German Jewish family of Hansi, the musician husband of Lanny’s sister, Bess—a threat that will impel the international art dealer to risk his wealth, his future, even his life in a courageous attempt to rescue his loved ones from a terrible fate.
Winner of the 1943 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Dragon’s Teeth brilliantly captures the nightmarish march toward the Second World War. An astonishing mix of history, adventure, and romance, the Lanny Budd Novels are a testament to the breathtaking scope of Upton Sinclair’s vision and his singular talents as a storyteller.
Read online
Lanny Budd #4
Lanny Budd #5
Presidential Agent
Upton Sinclair
Presidential Agent, written in 1944 is the fifth in the magnificent and epic eleven book Lanny Budd Series written by Upton Sinclair and covering the period of 1937 and 1938. Upon publication, Viking Press issued a statement that the books were related but could be enjoyed independently. I disagree. As I have previously noted, I read the third book, the Pulitzer Prize winning Dragon's Teeth first and it lived up to the awards and recognition it received but I was convinced that one had to start at the beginning to fully appreciate the series. And so I did. I read all eleven books in about six weeks and have reread World's End, Wide Is The Gate and Presidential Agent again. Presidential Agent begins with a chance encounter Lanny has in New York with his boss at the Versailles Treaty. When Lanny is nineteen years old he is hired to assist a college Professor, Charlie Alston with the geographical aspects of the remaking of Europe after the dissolution of the Ottoman and Austrian Empires following the end of World War One. Professor Alston, one of President Roosevelt's closest advisors and a "fix-it" man introduces Lnnny to President Roosevelt and Lanny has many confidential meetings with FDR and becomes Presidential Agent 103. The meetings are brought to life in such a way you feel yourself in the room with them as they discuss the coming storm in Europe. Lanny sounds the alarms to the coming of Fascism and Nazism and the fall of the democratically elected government of Spain and the rape of Abyssinia by Mussolini. All of the terror brought by Franco, Mussolini and Hitler is financed by rich and powerful industrialists and financiers. Their reasoning behind supporting these onetime skid row bums is to ward off the Red Menace or Bolshevism. These European plutocrats are more fearful of the Reds than surrendering their freedoms to Fascism and Nazism. Lanny's secret wife Trudi has been kidnapped by the Gestapo and the insuring efforts by Lanny to rescue her are riveting and as daring as the rescue of Alfy from Franco's dungeon in Spain and the attempt to rescue Fredi from the Gestapo in Dragon's Teeth. There is a conspiracy Lanny is privy to involving the "200" families of France to over throw the French government, known as the Cagoular's or hooded men. The Plutocrats of France are determined to make nice with Hitler in the hope of retaining their wealth and avoiding another war. They believe order of the German variety is the only solution to the corruption of the various French political factions or even worse, the Bolsheviks. There is also much intrigue in England and France between the wealthy, the diplomats and the politicians. The powerful in England want to believe that Hitler will be content with regaining the territories that were predominantly German people prior to the Versailles Treaty. Hitler has demanded Austria, Czechoslovakia as well as Poland. The Munich agreement is reached in which Engla
Read online
Lanny Budd #6
Dragon Harvest
Upton Sinclair
Dragon s Harvest is the sixth book in the epic World s End series written by Upton Sinclair and first published in 1945. The protagonist is the dashing and charming Lanny Budd. All eleven books in this sweeping historical narrative were best sellers when published by Viking Press in the 1940 s and the early 1950 s. They were sold in over 20 countries. Dragon s Harvest covers the period between 1938 and 1940. For those fortunate readers who began with the first book, World s End, and have followed the exciting life of Lanny Budd recognize him as the world renowned art expert and ultra secret presidential agent for FDR. Lanny travels throughout Europe and Washington D.C. meeting with the powerful political figures and financial titans who shape the events that lead to World War Two. In the previous book, Presidential Agent, Lanny is introduced by his former boss at the Versailles Treaty, The Fixer, to President Roosevelt, Professor Charlie Alston. Acting on behalf of FDR, Lanny continues his intrigues with the German Nazi s as a faithful believer while reporting secretly to FDR the coming storm in Europe. Lanny is able to accomplish this double life as a result of his relationship with Kurt Meissner, a boyhood chum, recognized throughout Germany as a great composer, and close friend of Hitler, as well as the business relationship between Lanny s father, Robbie, and Hermann Goring. Robbie, unsuccessful in selling his new airplanes to the British and the French is forced to sell thousands of airplanes to the German Nazi s to keep his plant operating. When at last the United States begins to recognize that the German Juggernaut will eventually involve the United States Robbie is prohibited from selling to the Nazi s and his business is virtually overwhelmed with orders from the United States military. Dragon s Harvest begins after the treacherous Munich accord on the Rivera where Lanny meets with a shelved Tory, Winston Churchill, Lanny, is ostensibly an art expert, meeting with the famous and infamous throughout Europe, buying old European masterpieces and selling them to rich Americans. He acts as a liaison with French and English diplomats and military appeasers. He uses all of his determination to warn them that war with Germany is inevitable. He tells them that Germany has been preparing for over a period of ten plus years for the wholesale takeover of Europe, despite what Hitler promises. Lanny has a private meeting with Neville Chamberlain. Lanny is with Hitler and Goring as they plan the seizure of Poland. He warns Belgium, Holland and Norway of their approaching fate. Lanny becomes involved and with great danger in a risky rescue of British sailors at Dunkirk. After the heroic rescue at Dunkirk Lanny rejoins Hitler in an effort to determine when the Nazi s intend to invade England and as Dragon s Harvest ends, Hitler and the Nazi s occupy Paris and install the Vichy Government. In this book Lanny once again utilizes all of his intellectual and creative skills to outwit the Gestapo who are the trail of a naive young anti Nazi woman writer living in Germany. Her name is Laurel Creston and she is a significant character throughout the remaining books and a tremendous source of influence and support to Lanny. The scheme Lanny utilizes to outwit the Nazi s is one the reader will not want to miss. And for all of the fans of Lanny Budd you are about to meet the future Mrs. Lanny Budd. If the reader wishes to appreciate this great historical narrative I strongly encourage the reader to begin with World s End and read the series in the order in which Upton painstakingly and meticulously wrote the eleven books. Please visit our website coming soon at:
Read online
Lanny Budd #7
A World to Win
Upton Sinclair
A World to Win is the seventh book of the epic historical narrative in Upton Sinclair's World's End Lanny Budd series. This spellbinding book covers the period or 1940-1942 following the Nazi partial occupation of France and the formation of the Vichy government. Lanny Budd, the protagonist in this classic series is the debonair, suave and wealthy American peace lover. He is intimately connected to every powerful political and military figure on the European continent and the corridors of power in the United States. As a renowned art expert as his camouflage, he is secretly Presidential Agent 103 for President Roosevelt. The story opens with Lanny meeting with the French leaders, politically and militarily, following the German occupation of Paris. He flies to London and meets with his closest friend Rick, a left wing journalist, and finds himself in the middle of the horrendous bombing of London by the German Luftwaffe. Winston Churchill is now the undisputed leader of the British Empire and determined to defeat the Nazi's, after years of appeasement by the ruling aristocrats and politicians in Britain. Lanny is "in the loop" as Rudolph Hess is tricked by British intelligence services into descending into Scotland in a misguided attempt to prevent an all out German-British war. Lanny is captured by French underground patriots who believe he is a Nazi agent and has a harrowing escape. Ironically, he is attempting to give money to this underground resistance movement when he is captured. By itself this part of the story is compelling and clearly illustrates Lanny's cleverness, ingenuity and persuasiveness in the face of grave personal danger. In his most dangerous mission as a presidential agent, Lanny is briefed on the development of the Atomic Bomb project headed by Albert Einstein himself. On his mission to Germany to ferret out German advancements in developing the bomb, Lanny's plane crashes in the arctic waters off the coast of Newfoundland and he is severely injured. A long recuperation follows. A fabulous around the world cruise follows Lanny's long hospitalization. The cruise aboard the yacht Oriole is owned by a wealthy Baltimore man who wants Lanny to marry his daughter Lizbeth. Lizbeth, her father and Lanny are startled to learn at the last minute before the yacht sails that her cousin, Laurel Creston will be joining the cruise. The reader will remember Laurel as the anti-Nazi journalist whom Lanny ingeniously help to escape the Gestapo in Dragon's Harvest. On December 7, 1941 the Oriole is anchored off the coast of Hong Kong as the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. As I mentioned in my review of Dragon's Harvest, you the reader were going to meet the future Mrs. Lanny Budd. Read how the astrological warning by a Rumanian living in Germany predicted several years earlier that Lanny would die in Hong Kong almost comes about. It almost comes true but Lanny and Laurel narrowly escape a besieged Hong Kong with a laborious journey through China, war-torn Yenan to find themselves guests of Stalin in friendly Russia. This book concludes with a lengthy interview between Stalin and Lanny. Follow all of the characters that make for Lanny's extended families. From Beauty Budd and her wonderful husband, Parsifal Dingle, Robbie Budd, Rick and Nina, Rosemary, Irma and "Ceddy" and the rest of the rich cast of wonderful characters we have grown to love from the very beginning with World's End. A World to Win captures that period in world's history that is must reading. No one can describe the times like Upton Sinclair has done with these classics. The best is yet to come with Presidential Mission, One Clear Call, O' Shepherd Speak! and The Return of Lanny Budd. Please visit our website coming soon at:
Read online
Lanny Budd #8
Presidential Mission
Upton Sinclair
Presidential Mission is the eighth book in the epic World's End Lanny Budd series written by Upton Sinclair in 1947. This thrilling book covers the period of history between 1942 and 1943. The reader has read of the many adventures of Lanny Budd, world citizen extraordinary, who has used his art expertise and Fascist and Nazi sympathies as camouflage for his work as Presidential Agent 103 for President Roosevelt since 1938.The beginning of the end of Nazism and Fascism has begun with the weight of the United States military entering the World War at the end of 1941. Now as US troops, planes, ships and political will escalates, particularly in North Africa, Lanny is sent by FDR to Algiers in advance of the American and British African invasion with an ingenious plan to fool the German High Command as to where the United States will strike first. The Allies are preparing for the massive invasion of Germany across the English Channel Lanny is sent to Algiers to convince the French to stand together as the Allies prepare for the North African. This is no small task. France is half controlled by Nazi Germany and the rest under semi German control under the Vichy Government. The large industrialist and bankers want to make peace with Germany so that they can continue to control the economy and their way of life, while the underground, the liberals, socialists and workers in general want a free democratically run government, if not a socialist one.There is an interesting interview Lanny has with the devilish Juan March, the financier of Franco and his gangsters who have taken control of the previously democratically elected Spanish government. As a Nazi sympathizer he attempts to get Lanny to convince FRD and Churchill that a truce with Germany would be the best for Europe and the United States. All that Hitler wants is to end the "Red Menace" (Russia) and maintain the countries which he has already seized and the British Empire can remain as is. The United States can have Central and South America as well as Japan. This type of intrigue is prevalent throughout the entire book The ultra rich aristocrats who simply want to retain their money and power and keep the unions and workers down. (Does this sound eerily familiar?) Lanny is instructed by FDR to visit General Stalin to enlist the Russians as allies in the war against the Nazi's and Fascists. In one of the most spectacular of Lanny's adventures, he must parachute from a damaged airplane taking him to Moscow into the Sahara desert. For Lanny this is the most danger he has ever been in. He nearly dies of thirst until rescued by a caravan of Arab camel drivers. He is then forced back into Germany as the caravan approaches a German road block. In Germany Lanny plays his usual role with Hitler and the Nazi's. By now Hitler has made his fatal decision to make war on two fronts, against Britain and now his former ally, Stalin and the Russians. In an amusing scene, Lanny having visited Hess in his prison cell and having asked Hess for something to prove that he has met Hess, is given Hess's wedding band given to Hess by Hitler that is specifically engraved. This piece of jewelry is priceless to Lanny's work for FDR as he attempts to gather information as to how far along the Germans scientists are with atomic fission and heavy water and jet propulsion. All of this intrigue goes on as Berlin is incessantly bombed, If the reader wishes to fully appreciate this great historical narrative I strongly encourage the reader to begin with World's End and read the series in the order in which Upton painstakingly and meticulously wrote the eleven books. There are only three books left after Presidential Mission and you will hardly be able to wait to read them.Please visit our website coming soon at:
Read online
Lanny Budd #9
One Clear Call I
Upton Sinclair
One Clear Call is the ninth in the eleven book Upton Sinclair's epic World's End Lanny Budd series. The covers the climax to World War Two in 1943 and 1944 as Lanny continues in his role as Presidential Agent 103 to FDR. Lanny uses his art expertise and connections while traveling throughout Europe and the Middle East buying masterpieces and reselling them to rich Americans. His clients in Europe include both Reichsmarschall (among a dozen or so titles) Hermann Goring and Adolph Hitler, a.k.a., Adi Schicklgruber, former picture post card artist This volume presents Lanny in the position of attempting to delude the Nazi's into where the Allied invasion is going to be. The Allies have determined Normandy as the entry point to the invasion of Germany to destroy the Third Reich. For almost twenty years Lanny has enjoyed the confidence of Hitler and for over a dozen years with Goring by posing as a Nazi sympathizer. He has been able to accomplish this through his boyhood friend, and his mother's former lover, Kurt Meissner. Meissner is thought to be a great Komponist and is close to Hitler.
However Lanny has never had much contact with the infamous Heinrich Himler, head of the dreaded Gestapo. After the many years deceiving the Nazi's, Himmler finally discovers the true purposes of Lanny's intimacies with the Nazi leadership. Lanny's half sister, Marceline, the famous dancer who has run off with a German officier, warns Lanny to get out of Germany, and fast. The ensuing struggle by Lanny to evade the Gestapo is the most dangerous of his many exploits up to this point. Using his underground resistance connections, which he has funded and nurtured for so many years, He tries escaping by car but is forced into abandoning that method and is forced to literally beg for food and sleeps in barns and in the forests. It is one of the most exciting adventures written by Upton in the entire series. His eventual (you knew he would) freedom is secured as the Allies take Italy city by city and bombing German cities relentlessly.
All of the dreams of Hitler are coming apart, day by day. There is a mutiny among the highest levels of the military to assassinate him that is tantalizing. The real German military consider Hitler an incompetent and believe (rightfully) that he has destroyed the Motherland and the hopes of the German people for decades to come. The plot is explosive and comes very close to reaching the desired end.
After D Day, Lanny is commissioned as an Honorary Captain in the US Army. He is put in charge of a large number of American art experts charged with capturing all of the art that the Nazi's have stolen over the years and returning it to the rightful owners. At this same time, the irrepressible Laurel Creston, Mrs. Lanny Budd, decides to come to Europe as a commissioned officer and writer for the military press. In addition to capturing and organizing the millions of dollars of paintings and other artwork, Lanny is asked to be an interrogator for the military. Due to his German fluency, he interviews top German prisoners including General Emil Meissner, Kurt's older brother.
And in a truly fabulous scene, Lanny and the profane General Patton have an extended conversation about taking Paris back from the Germans before going on to Germany. This chapter is a must read and one not to be forgotten.
There are so many more exciting sub plots in One Clear Call. I have loved each and every book in this epic narrative historical series; One Clear Call culminates the beginning of the end for the Nazi's and the Fascists. For each reader who has longed for the fall of Hitler and the Nazi's and the reuniting of France you will enjoy this book tremendously.
Please visit our website coming soon at:
Read online
Lanny Budd #10
O Shepherd, Speak!
Upton Sinclair
Col. Lanny Budd! America's greatest spy puts on a uniform to fight beside Patton into the heart of Nazi Germany...
O Shepherd, Speak! Is the tenth book in the epic Upton Sinclair "Lanny Budd" series, written in 1949. This was to be the last in this great historical narrative covering World History from 1913-1947. This book concludes the ending of World War Two and the Nuremberg trials.
Read online
Lanny Budd #11
The Return of Lanny Budd
Upton Sinclair
The Return of Lanny Budd is the eleventh and final book in the enormous epic Lanny Budd World's End series written by Pulitzer Prize Winner and legend, Upton Sinclair. Written in 1953 at the pinnacle of the Cold War, this story covers the period between 1946 and 1949. Post World War Two, Lanny comes out of retirement as a Presidential Agent to assist the United States as the Russian menace grows. For all readers who have reviled in Lanny's numerous adventures, travels and conversations with the leading politicians, industrialists, financial powers and military leaders you will surely enjoy this, the final book, in Upton's great historical narrative that began when Lanny was 13 years old and just prior to the beginning of World War One. As the story begins, Lanny is running his Radio Peace Program with his wife Laurel Creston, Rick, Nina, Lanny's daughter Frances and Rick and Nina's son Scrubbie with the help of thousands of volunteers, all from an old abandoned refurbished factory in New Jersey. Lanny is recruited into the Secret Service, which has responsibility for the Treasury Department, to help end Nazi gangs who are counterfeiting Allied currency in Germany. Remnants of the Nazi regime have stolen plates to print US and other Allied currency and have hidden millions of dollars in gold whisked away prior to the end of the War. Lanny's boyhood friend and the famous German Komponist, Kurt Meissner is one of the ring leaders in this conspiracy. He is eventually taken prisoner by the Allies controlling the Western Sector of Berlin. He promises to cooperate and end his participation in the conspiracy headed by Neo-Nazi's to protect his family and return to his music endeavors. The suspense builds as Lanny leads a group trying to capture the printing plates and discover where the gold is hidden. The ending will surprise even the most intuitive reader. While on this mission Lanny is shocked by what he sees in Russian controlled parts of Europe. He questions his own ideas as to the preaching of peace vis-a-vis arming against yet another tyranny already on the march towards world domination. In Stalin, Lanny sees a tyrant much like Hitler, Goring and the other Nazi's. Selling the socialism Lanny believes in, while building a military juggernaut and murdering and imprisoning all opposition. Lanny brings his Radio Peace effort to Germany and works with the forerunner to the Voice of America Radio program. His radio work is an effort to promote peace and understanding for the German people whom Lanny has loved since boyhood. He is finally recognized and then targeted by the Russian KGB and is kidnapped and taken to East Berlin. Lanny is subjected to torture for purporting conspiring to assassinate Marshall Stalin. The week of the torture is suspenseful and the efforts to find and liberate him are as exciting as any previous adventure. Lanny is horrified to learn that his half sister, Bess, a lifelong Communist, is being watched by the FBI, suspected of transmitting secret material to Russians agents. Hansi, agonized by this development, decides to finally break with Bess, but cooperates with the FBI by pretending to be a communist himself. This part of the story by itself would be worthy of a full book but the espionage and counterespionage in the Hansibess family is supplementary tot the larger story of events in Europe. In an extraordinary story, Lanny is able to foil his interrogators by suggesting that Bess is in fact a counterespionage agent for the United States. The reader will appreciate the ingenuity Lanny uses to persuade Bess of the evils of communism after his escape. Please visit our website coming soon at:
Read online