Peter Benchley's JAWS: A brief history of the novel

Jaws, penned by American author Peter Benchley in 1974, narrates the harrowing tale of a massive great white shark terrorizing a quaint Long Island resort town and the valiant efforts of three men to vanquish it. Inspired by the shark-fishing exploits of Frank Mundus in Montauk, New York, Benchley embarked on this gripping narrative, commissioned by Doubleday in 1971 during his stint as a freelance journalist.

Propelled by an adept marketing strategy orchestrated by Doubleday and Bantam, Jaws found its way into numerous book clubs' catalogs, generating significant media buzz. Upon its initial release in February 1974, the novel soared to success, with the hardback edition dominating bestseller lists for 44 consecutive weeks, followed by the paperback edition selling millions of copies the subsequent year. Despite the novel's knack for suspense, critical reception was varied, with some reviewers criticizing the prose and character development as rudimentary.

Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown, captivated by Benchley's narrative, secured the film rights even before the book's publication, entrusting Steven Spielberg with the directorial reins for the cinematic adaptation. The resulting film, released in June 1975, streamlined the plot by omitting various subplots, focusing squarely on the shark's menace and the dynamic interplay of the central characters. Jaws made cinematic history as the highest-grossing film of its time, heralding the dawn of the summer blockbuster phenomenon. Subsequent sequels garnered mixed to negative reviews, but the original film remains an enduring classic.

Sharks

Peter Benchley's fascination with sharks dates back to his childhood days spent fishing alongside his father Nathaniel in Nantucket. Over the years, he pondered the idea of crafting "a story about a shark that attacks people and what would happen if it came in and wouldn't go away." This interest intensified after he came across a 1964 news article detailing fisherman Frank Mundus's remarkable catch of a great white shark weighing 4,550 pounds off the coast of Montauk, New York.

By 1971, Benchley found himself grappling with the challenges of supporting his family as a freelance writer. His literary agent arranged frequent meetings with editors from various publishing houses, one of whom was Doubleday editor Thomas Congdon. Congdon, unimpressed by Benchley's proposals for non-fiction, was captivated by his idea for a novel depicting a shark wreaking havoc on a beach resort. Upon receiving a page from Benchley's manuscript, Congdon wasted no time in offering $1,000 for the first 100 pages, eventually granting a total advance of $7,500 for the completed manuscript. Confident in Benchley's expertise, particularly his self-professed knowledge of sharks gleaned from research books and documentaries like "Blue Water White Death," Congdon and the Doubleday team eagerly commissioned the book.

With the green light from Doubleday, Benchley delved into extensive research on sharks, drawing inspiration from various sources including Peter Matthiessen's "Blue Meridian," Jacques Cousteau's "The Shark: Splendid Savage of the Sea," Thomas B. Allen's "Shadows in the Sea," and David H. Davies' "About Sharks and Shark Attacks."

With Wendy, Peter Benchley went on to become a conservationist, spreading a positive message about sharks

Development

Benchley delayed completing the novel until his agent issued a stern reminder: failing to deliver meant returning the advance, which Benchley could ill afford. With no choice, he plunged into writing earnestly. However, his initial draft, hurriedly penned, drew criticism from Congdon for its comedic tone. Only the first five pages received Congdon's approval, making it into the published book unchanged, with Benchley instructed to maintain that tone throughout. After a month, Benchley submitted a broader outline and revised chapters, earning Congdon's endorsement.

Over the next year and a half, Benchley toiled away, alternating between a makeshift office above a furnace company in Pennington, New Jersey, during winter, and a converted turkey coop at his wife's family's seaside property in Stonington, Connecticut, during summer. Congdon dictated changes, notably axing a sex scene between Brody and Ellen, deeming it unfit for the book's tone. Despite various rewrites, revisions, and sporadic advance payments, Benchley finally delivered the completed manuscript in January 1973.

As the book neared publication, Benchley struggled to settle on a title. His brainstorming yielded numerous options, many of which he dismissed as pretentious or melodramatic. Congdon and Benchley debated titles extensively, but none resonated until a breakthrough twenty minutes before production. Over dinner in New York, Benchley and Congdon finally resolved the issue.

Publication

Initially, neither Peter Benchley nor anyone involved in the conception of the book fully grasped its potential. However, Tom Congdon, recognizing its promise, ensured its submission to The Book of the Month Club and paperback houses. The Book of the Month Club elevated it to an "A book," securing its place as a main selection, and Reader's Digest followed suit. The publication date was strategically postponed to orchestrate a well-planned release strategy. Initially published in hardcover in February 1974, it made its way through book clubs before a nationwide campaign heralded the paperback release. Bantam secured the paperback rights for a significant sum of $575,000, a testament to the book's anticipated success. When Bantam's rights expired, they reverted to Benchley, who subsequently sold them to Random House, the publisher responsible for all subsequent reprints of Jaws.

Reception

Upon its release, Jaws enjoyed unprecedented success. John Baxter's biography of Steven Spielberg recounts how Spielberg, along with producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown, jump-started its ascent on California's best-seller list by purchasing a hundred copies each, mainly distributed to influencers and tastemakers. By 7 p.m. on its debut day, Jaws had already claimed the title of the state's most successful book. Nationally, sales flourished without engineered promotion. The hardcover edition maintained its position on The New York Times bestseller list for an impressive 44 weeks, reaching second place behind Watership Down and selling 125,000 copies. The paperback edition surpassed these figures, dominating book charts globally. By the time the film adaptation premiered in June 1975, Jaws had sold 5.5 million copies domestically, a number that eventually soared to 9.5 million copies. Worldwide, sales figures estimated around 20 million copies. The book's triumph led ABC to invite Benchley to an episode of The American Sportsman, where he ventured into Australian waters to swim with sharks, marking the first of many nature-related television appearances for the author.

Beyond the book

Several audio adaptations of "Jaws" have been produced over the years:

In 2008, BBC Radio 7 aired a 6-part abridged adaptation narrated by John Guerrasio.
BBC Radio 4 featured a 10-part abridged adaptation narrated by Henry Goodman in 2018 as part of its Book at Bedtime program.
Blackstone Audio released an unabridged audio adaptation narrated by Erik Steele in both CD and downloadable formats in 2009.
Audible Studios exclusively released a French translation titled "Les Dents de la Mer," narrated by Pascal Casanova, in downloadable format in 2018.

Peter Benchley’s JAWS was also adpated into a movie, directed by some young hotshot named Spielberg. It did pretty well ;0)

Words by Ross Williams

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