Bio
TOM CLAVIN is a bestselling author of 25 nonfiction books on American and
military history, sports, and entertainment. His writing career began in journalism, as a roving
reporter for The New York Times for 15 years as well as a contributor to national magazines
including Smithsonian, Men’s Journal, Parade, Reader’s Digest, and Sports Illustrated. Along the
way, he was awarded numerous prizes by the Society of Professional Journalists and National
Newspaper Association.
Six of his books have been New York Times best sellers: Halsey’s Typhoon (2007), The
Last Stand of Fox Company (2009), The Heart of Everything That Is (2013), Dodge City (2017),
Blood and Treasure (2021), and Follow Me to Hell (2023). Other titles that have received
popular and critical acclaim include Tombstone, Dark Noon, Valley Forge, Wild Bill, All Blood
Runs Red, Lightning Down, Lucky 666, and The Last Outlaws. Accolades have included the Spur
Award from the Western Writers of America for Best Nonfiction Book – twice, for The Heart of
Everything That Is and Dodge City – and from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation for Best
Book of the Year, The Last Stand of Fox Company. His next book, Throne of Grace, was
published in May 2024 by St. Martin’s Press.
About one of the bestselling books, True West magazine wrote, “Just in time for great
summer reading, Tom Clavin’s latest Western history, Follow Me to Hell: McNelly’s Texas
Rangers and the Rise of Frontier Justice, has hit the bookstores and digital platforms for readers
who love the Old West. Currently, Clavin is one of the most popular and bestselling Western
authors writing about the Old West. Follow Me to Hell should sell a lot of books, and the author
has done an excellent job of providing readers—who may never have read a history of the Texas
Rangers—with a thorough overview of the development of the Lone Star law enforcement agency from a nascent frontier militia to one of the best-known frontier fighting forces in 19 th -
century America.
“Readers familiar with Clavin’s work will rediscover his easy reading narrative style. His
pace keeps the story moving forward, and he provides details on the historical characters and
events that make you want to read more on the topic after finishing the book.”
About The Last Hill, published in November 2022 (written with Bob Drury), the Wall
Street Journal stated, “Messrs. Drury and Clavin are to be commended for resurrecting with
delicate poignancy the travails of men of the 2nd Ranger Battalion like Robert Edlin and Bubby
Stein, so that their fate becomes a matter of deep moment to the reader. With its muscular prose
and expert storytelling, ‘The Last Hill’ deserves to stand beside Stephen Ambrose’s ‘Band of
Brothers’ as one of the truly epic—and intimate—accounts of American heroism and sacrifice in
World War II. This book should be read by anyone with even a passing interest in the conflict or
the Greatest Generation, of whom the Rangers may have been the greatest.”
For the screen, he has co-written/written several screenplays, including Trek and Rebel
Yell. Two of his books are currently being developed as screen projects, The Last Stand of Fox
Company and Lucky 666, and he is the co-writer of three limited series soon to be available for
development: Crazy Horse and Custer, Wellington, and Newfoundland. Previous adaptation
efforts include Dodge City (Amblin), All Blood Runs Red (Lena Waithe), The Heart of
Everything That Is (Ridley Scott Films), and Last Men Out (Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson).
He lives in Sag Harbor, New York.