Bestselling author Wilbur Smith (88) dies

Bestselling author Wilbur Smith died at his home in South Africa on Saturday at the age of 88.

With 49 titles, Smith became a household name, with his swashbuckling adventure stories taking readers from tropical islands to the jungles of Africa, ancient Egypt and the second World War.

The Zambian-born writer published 49 books and sold more than 140 million copies worldwide.

“Global bestselling author Wilbur Smith died unexpectedly this afternoon at his Cape Town home after a morning of reading and writing with his wife Niso by his side,” said a statement released on the Wilbur Smith Books website, as well as by his publishers Bonnier Books UK.

What being Irish means to me. By Leo Varadkar, Ola Majekodunmi, Mary Lou McDonald and more

---

The Oxford Companion to the Brontës: A must for the Brontaholic

---

Autobibliography by Rob Doyle: A funny trawl though the 52 books that made him

---

Faber to publish authorised biography of John McGahern by Frank Shovlin

---

“The undisputed and inimitable master of adventure writing, Wilbur Smith’s novels have gripped readers for over half a century, selling over 140 million copies worldwide in more than thirty languages.”

The statements did not reveal the cause of death. – Guardian