On Wings of Eagles was published by Collins in 1983. It is Follett’s only non-fiction book — a reconstruction of the true events of December 1978 to February 1979, when Ross Perot, the Texas billionaire founder of Electronic Data Systems, organized a private military operation to rescue two of his employees from Gasr Prison in Tehran during the Iranian Revolution.
Paul Chiapparone and Bill Gaylord, EDS executives, were arrested on fabricated charges (essentially held for ransom by the collapsing Pahlavi government). When the US State Department proved unable or unwilling to help, Perot hired Colonel Arthur “Bull” Simons — a legendary retired Green Beret who had led the Son Tay prison raid in Vietnam — to lead a team of EDS volunteers into Tehran to extract the prisoners.
The rescue succeeded not through the commando raid Simons planned but through the chaos of the revolution itself: a mob stormed Gasr Prison and released all prisoners. Simons’s team then had to smuggle the two men overland through revolutionary Iran and across the Turkish border.
Collecting On Wings of Eagles
First edition (Collins, London, 1983): Boards with dust jacket.
Market values:
- UK first edition, fine in jacket: $20–$50
- US first edition (Morrow): $15–$40
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation.
The True Story
On Wings of Eagles (1983) is Follett’s only non-fiction book — the true story of how Ross Perot organized a private military operation to rescue two of his employees from prison in Tehran during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The rescue, led by retired Green Beret Colonel Arthur “Bull” Simons, reads like a thriller because it was one — Follett’s gift for narrative made the true events as gripping as his fiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Follett start as a thriller writer? Yes. His early career was in spy thrillers: Eye of the Needle (1978), Triple (1979), The Key to Rebecca (1980), and The Man from St. Petersburg (1982). The shift to historical fiction with The Pillars of the Earth (1989) was a deliberate career pivot that surprised publishers and delighted readers.