On her 16th birthday, Maggie Drum sets out from the grimy streets of her Scottish coalmining town to find a man of pride, independence and spirit fit enough to be her husband. She finds her man in Gillon Cameron, a tall fisherman from the Highlands, who will learn to go down into the mines yet refuse to settle for the grinding poverty of the coal miner's life. In a world that treats coal miners as little more than slaves, Maggie's steely determination and Gillon's abiding pride stake their claim to a better future for themselves and seven children. Robert Crichton, author of The Secret of Santa Vittoria, brings his stellar storytelling gifts to this sweeping family epic, capturing the Camerons' moments of triumph and loss, bitterness and love set in the magnificent landscapes and social battles of 19th century Scotland. First published in 1972, and a New York Times bestseller for more than five months, The Camerons draws you in with what at first...

In the last days of World War II, German forces are sent to occupy the Italian hill town, Santa Vittoria, and claim its great treasure: one million bottles of the Santa Vittoria wine that is its lifeblood. The clownish mayor, Bombolini, matches wits with the urbane German captain, Von Prum, as the town unites — aristocrats and peasants, old enemies and young lovers — to deceive the Germans and save its wine. Where the wine disappears to is the secret of Santa Vittoria that Robert Crichton brings to life with wit, heart, and suspense in his masterpiece of classic storytelling. First published in 1966, The Secret of Santa Vittoria was on the New York Times bestseller list for 50 weeks — 18 weeks as #1 — and became an international bestseller.