The Silence of the Lambs is a 1988 psychological horror crime thriller novel by Thomas Harris. Published August 29, it is the sequel to Harris's 1981 novel Red Dragon, and both novels feature the cannibalistic serial killer and brilliant psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter. This time, however, he is pitted against FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she works to solve the case of the "Buffalo Bill" serial killer. St. Martin’s Press also issued uncorrected proof copies in 1988, which are considered scarce by collectors.[1][2] It is the most well-known installment of Harris's Hannibal Lecter series, selling over 10 million copies. The film adaptation directed by Jonathan Demme was released in 1991 to widespread critical acclaim and box office success. At the 64th Academy Awards ceremony, it won all five of the "Big Five" Oscars, becoming the third and most recent film to do so, and the first film since One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975. To date, it is the only horror film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.