I don’t remember what prompted me to look, but the other day I was reminded of Desmond Bagley, who wrote 16 adventure novels in the 1960s and 1970s. I quickly did a search in Library Thing for the ones I own and went over to my local library’s website to request the ones I haven’t read. They are all tales well told and heavily researched, and most have an educational component subtly placed within. Reading “Night of Error,” for example, will tell you a lot about the geology of undersea manganese nodules and their economic value. “The Enemy” delves into genetic engineering (in 1977!). “The Snow Tiger” is a complicated thriller involving the structure of snow crystals and what happens during avalanches.

Bagley’s books are often compared to those of Alistair MacLean; indeed, there’s a blurb on one of Bagley’s books as follows:

“I’ve read all of Bagley’s novels. I think he’s better than I am.”

Who said that? MacLean himself.

That, I submit, is pretty high praise, since many of MacLean’s early books were tops in the class. He fell off toward the end of his life, but “HMS Ulysses,” “The Guns of Navarone,” “South by Java Head,” “The Golden Rendezvous,” “Ice Station Zebra” and “When Eight Bells Toll” are among the best adventure yarns of the 20th century.

If you’re looking for good adventure novels, try Bagley. Many of his books are now being reprinted in trade editions containing two novels each, which is convenient. What’s inconvenient is that the dual-book editions are only released in the UK; try Amazon UK if you must have those. Otherwise I recommend your library first, then your neighborhood used bookstore.