Ben-Hur: The Original Blockbuster

Screening Antiquity

by Jon Solomon

Ben-Hur was the first literary blockbuster to generate multiple and hugely profitable adaptations, highlighted by the 1959 film that won a record-setting 11 Oscars. More than a century before The Hunger Games and Harry Potter, and decades before Gone with the Wind and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, General Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur was spun off into dozens of popular publications and media productions, becoming a veritable commercial brand name that earned tens of millions of dollars.

Ben-Hur: The Original Blockbuster surveys the Ben-Hur phenomenon's unprecedented range and extraordinary endurance: various editions, spin-off publications, stage productions, movies, comic books, radio plays, and retail products were successfully marketed and sold from the 1880s and throughout the twentieth century. Today Ben-Hur Live is touring Europe and Asia, with a third MGM film in production in Italy.

Jon Solomon's new book offers an exciting and detailed study of the Ben-Hur brand, tracking its spectacular journey from Wallace's original novel through to twenty-first century adaptations, and encompassing a wealth of previously unexplored material along the way.

928 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2016

About the author

Jon Solomon is Robert D. Novak Professor of Western Civilization and Culture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY COW!!! This history nerd and Ben-Hur fan is totally geeking out over all the delectable revelations in this book!!! And where I was once merely a fan of the story, I have become an even bigger fan of the author himself, and all he did to both protect and promote his work. Truly inspiring for this 21st century author!