that he would achieve success only if he did something in a more comical vein. In 1966 he came up with the idea of basing a novel around Harry Flashman from Tom Brown's School Days; he later said he was inspired to put pen to paper by two events: going on a recent trip to Borneo and Malaya during the Indonesian Confrontation which re-ignited his interest in Asia and soldiering, and having just completed a stint as acting editor of his paper, which re-enforced his determination to get out of journalism. He told his wife "I'll write us out of this". Fraser wrote the book after work in nightly bursts, taking ninety hours all up with no advance plotting or revisions. Half way through he broke his arm and could not type; he might have given up but his wife read it, was enthusiastic, and encouraged him to continue. He took two years to find a publisher, before it was taken up by Herbert Jenkins. Reception When the book was published in America, several reviewers thought it was true. Reviews were generally positive. By 1970 the book had sold over 200,000 copies in paperback and its success – notably the sale of the film rights – enabled Fraser to leave journalism and become a full-time writer. It also compelled him to move to the Isle of Man to avoid income tax. Proposed film version Film rights were sold to Bob Booker and George Foster's Cinema Organization company, and initial plans called for a movie to be directed by Richard Lester. In August 1969 it was announced the script would be written by Charles Wood with filming to start early the following year. Lester admired the book greatly, saying "it was an extraordinary period of British history and it was a marvellously interesting premise... There were lots of things in it that made sense to me—about soldiering, about the military, about the economics of military politics. And I also had various notions about the Victorian ethic and the Protestant, John Foster Dulles ethic and the relationship of one to the other." Lester obtained funds from United Artists and John Alderton was cast as Flashman. Frank Muir, who worked on the script, said that because Alderton was not known in America he had to do a screen test but United Artists approved him. In February 1970 it was reported Joan Collins was