Claim: Author Michael Crichton, whose books have sold more than 200 million copies, published his first book, Odds On, in 1966 under the pen name John Lange.
Evidence: John Michael Crichton (/ˈkraɪtən/; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. In 1965, while at Harvard Medical School, Crichton wrote a novel, Odds On. Crichton used the pen name John Lange because he planned to become a doctor and did not want his patients to worry he would use them for his plots.