WRITER

Peter Benchley

1940 - 2006

Photo of Peter Benchley

Icon of person Peter Benchley

Peter Bradford Benchley (May 8, 1940 – February 11, 2006) was an American author. He is best known for his bestselling novel Jaws and co-wrote its movie adaptation with Carl Gottlieb. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Peter Benchley has received more than 1,419,876 page views. His biography is available in 30 different languages on Wikipedia. Peter Benchley is the 3,205th most popular writer (down from 1,607th in 2019), the 4,077th most popular biography from United States (down from 2,096th in 2019) and the 346th most popular American Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.4M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 52.35

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 30

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.24

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.92

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

Beast
Sea stories, Giant squids, Fiction
1991
Q clearance
1986
Jaws
blue sharks, dolphins, shark cage diving
Here is the classic suspense novel of shark versus man that was made into the blockbuster Steven Spielberg movie. The Jaws phenomenon changed popular culture and inspired huge interest in sharks and the oceans. When Peter Benchley wrote Jaws in the early 1970’s, he meticulously researched all the available data about sharks. Over the ensuing decades, Benchley was actively engaged with scientists and filmmakers on expeditions around the world as they expanded their knowledge of sharks. Also during this time, there was an unprecedented upswing in the number of sharks killed for their fins to make shark fin soup, and Benchley worked with governments and non-profits to sound the alarm for shark conservation. He encouraged each new generation of Jaws fans to enjoy his riveting tale and to channel their excitement into the support and protection of these magnificent, prehistoric apex predators. ([source][1]) ---------- Also contained in: - [Best Sellers from Reader's Digest Condensed Books](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15134116W) - [Reader's Digest Condensed Books. Volume 2 - 1974](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15150299W) - [Three Complete Novels](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL3454878W/) [1]: http://www.peterbenchley.com/books/jaws
1973
Shark Life
Juvenile Nonfiction, Nature, Nonfiction
In this riveting true adventure and informative guide to the sea, master storyteller Peter Benchley draws on more than four decades of diving experience to bring us face to face with the array of sharks and other marine animals he and his family have encountered, almost always on purpose--but sometimes by accident.In direct and accessible prose, Peter sets the record straight about the many types of sharks (including the ones that pose a genuine threat to us), the behavior of sharks and other sea creatures we fear, the odds against an attack, and how to improve them even further. He also teaches us how to swim safely in the ocean by reading the tides and currents and respecting all the inhabitants. Here are the lessons Peter has learned, the mistakes he has made, the danger he has faced--and the spectacular sights he has seen in the world's largest environment. The book includes 16 pages of black-and-white photographs.From the Hardcover edition.
2005
Shark Trouble
Sharks, Shark attacks, Dangerous marine animals
2002
White Shark
Fiction, Sharks, Scientists
republication of *The Creature*
1994

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Peter Benchley ranks 3,205 out of 7,302. Before him are Ruben Sevak, Caspar Barlaeus, Giovanni Battista Giraldi, Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian, Jim Carroll, and Maria Wirtemberska. After him are Imre Madách, Adam of Saint Victor, Corippus, Joan Brossa, Lady Caroline Lamb, and Nodira.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1940, Peter Benchley ranks 237. Before him are Gösta Pettersson, Yozhef Sabo, Jesús López Cobos, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Pharoah Sanders, and Bob Hewitt. After him are Charles T. Kowal, Mohammed Magariaf, Terry Dischinger, Jan Eliasson, John Mahoney, and Helmut Jahn. Among people deceased in 2006, Peter Benchley ranks 171. Before him are Johnny Servoz-Gavin, Patricia Kennedy Lawford, Maureen Stapleton, Maynard Ferguson, Gennadiy Aygi, and Desmond Dekker. After him are Mickey Spillane, Tadao Onishi, Andreas Katsulas, Peter Norman, Galina Ustvolskaya, and Vilgot Sjöman.

Others Born in 1940

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Others Deceased in 2006

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Peter Benchley ranks 4,077 out of 20,380. Before him are Yusef Lateef (1920), George Clinton (1941), Jim Carroll (1949), Kevin McCarthy (1914), Theodore Hall (1925), and Robert Prosky (1930). After him are Leonard Adleman (1945), George M. Dallas (1792), John Nance Garner (1868), Philip Bosco (1930), Ann Morgan Guilbert (1928), and Edward MacDowell (1860).

Others born in United States

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Among WRITERS In United States

Among writers born in United States, Peter Benchley ranks 346. Before him are Mike Mentzer (1951), Marianne Williamson (1952), Edward Gorey (1925), Henry Kuttner (1915), Anne Tyler (1941), and Jim Carroll (1949). After him are Hubert Selby Jr. (1928), Mickey Spillane (1918), Edward Bellamy (1850), Gregory Benford (1941), Willa Cather (1873), and Wallace Stevens (1879).

American born Writers

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