It was just another day in the life of a small Atlantic resort until the terror from the deep came to prey on unwary holiday makers. The first sign of trouble a warning of what was to come took the form of a young womans body, or what was left of it, washed up on the long, white stretch of beach. A summer of terror has begun. Peter Benchleys JAWS first appeared in 1974. It was just another day in the life of a small Atlantic resort until the terror from the deep came to prey on unwary holiday makers. The first sign of trouble a warning of what was to come took the form of a young womans body, or what was left of it, washed up on the long, white stretch of beach. A summer of terror has begun. Peter Benchleys JAWS first appeared in 1974. It has sold over twenty million copies around the world, creating a legend that refuses to die its never safe to go back in the water.