Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan is the pen name of writer James Oliver Rigney, an American author and Vietnam War veteran, known for his Wheel of Time series of fantasy novels. He served two tours of duty as a helicopter gunner in Vietnam and received multiple honors, including a Distinguished Flying Cross and a Bronze Star.http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/books/18jordan.html?_r=1 Jordan went on to achieve a bachelor’s degree in physics at The Citadel, South Carolina’s military college, and worked as a nuclear engineer until he began writing full time in 1977.http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/books/18jordan.html?_r=1 He created his pen names of Robert Jordan and Reagan O’Neal by making lists of names based on his own initials and mixing and matching until he came to names he liked.http://cgi1.usatoday.com/mchat/20040106007/tscript.htm His original intent in using pen names for his fiction was to write a non-fiction, autobiographical account of his time in Vietnam and publish that under his given name.http://cgi1.usatoday.com/mchat/20040106007/tscript.htm

Jordan’s wife, Harriet McDougal Rigney, had a distinguished career as a poet and publisher in New York before founding Popham Press.http://charlestonlibrarysociety.org/Charleston_Reader_Summer2010.pdf They have one son, William Popham McDougal.http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/books/18jordan.html?_r=1

Robert Jordan died in 2007 from primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy, a rare blood disease that causes the walls of the heart to thicken.http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/books/18jordan.html?_r=1 In April of 2008, The Citadel erected a permanent memorial to the author and his work.http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/blog/4/entry-390-robert-jordans-citadel-memorial-dedication/

Jordan’s career began with a trilogy of historical fiction novels written under the pen name of Reagan O’Neal. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/books/18jordan.html?_r=1 This was followed by several novels in the Conan the Barbarian series. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/books/18jordan.html?_r=1 Conan was created by Robert E. Howard in the 1930s, and the book series has been continued by multiple authors since. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/books/18jordan.html?_r=1 His Wheel of Time series began with the book The Eye of the World, published in 1990, which told the tale of Rand al'Thor, a champion against evil in a land of "rich mythology." http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/20824649/ns/today-books/ Because of the epic nature of the series and the "magnetic hold" it creates on readers, Jordan has been compared to J.R.R. Tolkien. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/books/18jordan.html?_r=1 When asked about these comparisons, Jordan stated that “being compared to Tolkien is like being a musician and being compared to Mozart. That's the good part. The bad part is, I'm not Tolkien, I'm not trying to write like Tolkien. So on one hand I'm pleased, the other hand ambivalent.” http://cgi1.usatoday.com/mchat/20040106007/tscript.htm The Wheel of Time series of books has been translated into more than 20 languages and has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/books/18jordan.html?_r=1

"In wars, boy, fools kill other fools for foolish causes." -The Eye of The Worldhttp://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6252.Robert_Jordan

"Death is lighter than a feather, but duty is heavier than a mountain." -The Eye of the Worldhttp://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6252.Robert_Jordan

"You have made a place in my heart where I thought there was no room for anything else. You have made flowers grow where I cultivated dust and stones. Remember this, on this journey you insist on making, if you die, I will not survive you long." -The Shadow Risinghttp://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6252.Robert_Jordan

"Women often seemed to leave things unsaid, and in his limited experience it was what they did not say that proved the most trouble." -The Great Hunthttp://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6252.Robert_Jordan

"There is one rule, above all others, for being a man. Whatever comes, face it on your feet." -The Great Hunthttp://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6252.Robert_Jordan

• 1980: The Fallon Blood

• 1981: The Fallon Pride

• 1982: Conan the Defender

• 1982: Conan the Invincible

• 1982: The Fallon Legacy

• 1983: Conan the Triumphant

• 1983: Conan the Unconquered

• 1984: Conan the Destroyer

• 1984: Conan the Magnificent

• 1984: Conan the Victorious

• 1990: The Eye of the World

• 1990: The Great Hunt

• 1991: The Dragon Reborn

• 1992: The Shadow Rising

• 1993: The Fires of Heaven

• 1994: Lord of Chaos

• 1996: A Crown of Swords

• 1998: The Path of Daggers

• 2000: Winter's Heart

• 2002: Crossroads of Twilight

• 2004: New Spring

• 2005: Knife of Dreamshttp://www.amazon.com/Robert-Jordan/e/B000AQ19X6/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1292365367&sr=1-1