Clive Cussler Books in Order
Clive Cussler was an American adventure thriller author and real-life underwater explorer, best known for his Dirk Pitt series, which began in 1973 and ran to 27 novels. He appeared on the New York Times bestseller list more than 20 times and received the ITW ThrillerMaster award in 2006, the Strand Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, and the Naval Heritage Award from the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation in 2002 for his work in marine exploration. He passed away in February 2020 at age 88.
This page lists all Clive Cussler books in order across his five main series: Dirk Pitt, the NUMA Files, the Oregon Files, Isaac Bell Adventures, and the Sam and Remi Fargo Adventures. All series are still active, continued by the co-authors who worked with Cussler before his death, including his son Dirk Cussler.
Latest Clive Cussler Books
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Dirk Pitt Series (Books in Order)
The Dirk Pitt series follows marine engineer and special projects director for NUMA (the National Underwater and Marine Agency) Dirk Pitt, who gets pulled into various global crises that involve lost ships, sunken treasure, and global threats to civilization. The series is a mix of high adventure, historical mysteries, and outlandish plots, which makes it closer in feel to James Bond or Indiana Jones than to conventional thrillers. The first two books are relatively straightforward maritime thrillers; from Raise the Titanic! (1976) onward, the series moves into its signature mix of sunken history, evil megalomaniacs, and Dirk Pitt’s ever-growing collection of classic cars.
Starting with Black Wind, the series was co-authored with Dirk Cussler, who continued it after his father’s death in 2020.
Reading Order
- Pacific Vortex!, 1983
- The Mediterranean Caper, 1973 (also titled Mayday)
- Iceberg, 1975
- Raise The Titanic!, 1976
- Vixen 03, 1978
- Night Probe!, 1981
- Deep Six, 1984
- Cyclops, 1986
- Treasure, 1988
- Dragon, 1990
- Sahara, 1992
- Inca Gold, 1994
- Shock Wave, 1996
- Flood Tide, 1997
- Atlantis Found, 1999
- Valhalla Rising, 2001
- Trojan Odyssey, 2003
- Black Wind, 2004
- Treasure of Khan, 2006
- Arctic Drift, 2008
- Crescent Dawn, 2010
- Poseidon’s Arrow, 2012
- Havana Storm, 2014
- Odessa Sea, 2016
- Celtic Empire, 2019
- Clive Cussler’s The Devil’s Sea, 2021
- Clive Cussler’s The Corsican Shadow, 2023
Other Dirk Pitt Books
NUMA Files Series (Books in Order)
The NUMA Files series follows Kurt Austin, leader of NUMA’s Special Assignments Team, and his partner Joe Zavala who deal with threats to the world’s oceans and natural resources in fast-paced, missions around the world. The series has characters and setting from Dirk Pitt, since Pitt himself appears in several books, but Austin is a separate protagonist with his own style and supporting cast.
Co-authored with Paul Kemprecos (books 1–8) and Graham Brown (books 9 onward).
Reading Order
- Serpent, 1999
- Blue Gold, 2000
- Fire Ice, 2002
- White Death, 2003
- Lost City, 2004
- Polar Shift, 2005
- The Navigator, 2007
- Medusa, 2009
- Devil’s Gate, 2011
- The Storm, 2012
- Zero Hour, 2013
- Ghost Ship, 2014
- The Pharao’s Secret, 2015
- Nighthawk, 2017
- The Rising Sea, 2018
- Sea of Greed, 2018
- Journey of the Pharaohs, 2020
- Fast Ice, 2021
- Clive Cussler’s Dark Vector, 2022
- Clive Cussler’s Condor’s Fury, 2023
- Clive Cussler’s Desolation’s Code, 2024
- Clive Cussler’s Cold Fire, 2026
The Oregon Files Series (Books in Order)
The Oregon Files series follows Juan Cabrillo, the chairman of a private mercenary organization called the Corporation, which operates from a covert ship called the Oregon, a battered-looking freighter which in fact hides state-of-the-art weapons, technology, and intelligence equipment inside. The series is all about the difference between the Oregon’s shabby exterior and what it can actually do, and the missions Cabrillo and his crew take on for the highest bidder, usually involving the need to combat global-scale threats.
Co-authored with Craig Dirgo (books 1–2), Jack Du Brul (books 3–9), Boyd Morrison (books 10–15), and Mike Maden (books 16 onward).
Reading Order
- Golden Buddha, 2003
- Sacred Stone, 2004
- Dark Watch, 2005
- Skeleton Coast, 2006
- Plague Ship, 2008
- Corsair, 2009
- The Silent Sea, 2010
- The Jungle, 2011
- Mirage, 2013
- Piranha, 2015
- The Emperor’s Revenge, 2016
- Typhoon Fury, 2017
- Shadow Tyrants, 2018
- Final Option, 2019
- Marauder, 2020
- Clive Cussler’s Hellburner, 2022
- Clive Cussler’s Fire Strike, 2023
- Clive Cussler’s Ghost Soldier, 2024
- Quantum Tempest, 2025
Isaac Bell Adventures Series (Books in Order)
The Isaac Bell series follows detective Isaac Bell, a tall, sharp-dressed detective working for the Van Dorn Detective Agency in early 20th century America. Each book throws Bell into a different period and setting, be it a railroad saboteur in 1907, spies in 1908 Europe, or a transcontinental air race in 1910.
Unlike the other Cussler series, Isaac Bell has a distinct internal chronology that does not match publication order. The books were written out of sequence: The Striker is set in 1902 and The Assassin in 1905, but both came out years after The Chase, which is set in 1906. Reading in publication order works fine for most readers, as the internal timeline has no major spoilers.
Co-authored with Justin Scott (books 2–10) and Jack Du Brul (books 11 onward).
Reading Order
- The Chase, 2007
- The Wrecker, 2009
- The Spy, 2010
- The Race, 2011
- The Thief, 2012
- The Striker, 2013
- The Bootlegger, 2014
- The Assassin, 2015
- The Gangster, 2016
- The Cutthroat, 2017
- The Titanic Secret, 2019
- The Saboteurs, 2021
- Clive Cussler’s The Sea Wolves, 2022
- Clive Cussler’s The Heist, 2024
- Clive Cussler’s The Iron Storm, 2025
Reading note: The Isaac Bell books are each set in a specific year of the early 1900s but were not written in that internal order. The Chase, published in 2007 is the starting point and is set in 1906; The Striker, published in 2013 is set in 1902 but came out sixth. Publication order is the recommended reading order.
Sam and Remi Fargo Adventures
The Fargo Adventures series follows professional treasure hunters Sam and Remi Fargo, a married couple who, being multimillionaires, fund and run their own expeditions around the world using their private foundation. Sam is a former DARPA engineer turned entrepreneur and Remi is a researcher and expert in history and languages. The two travel the world to track down lost artifacts and historical mysteries, which they usually donate to governments or various museums. They work independently, with no government backing.
Co-authored with Grant Blackwood (books 1–3), Thomas Perry (books 4–5), Russell Blake (books 6–7), and Robin Burcell (books 8 onward).
- Spartan Gold, 2009
- Lost Empire, 2010
- The Kingdom, 2011
- The Tombs, 2012
- The Mayan Secrets, 2013
- The Eye of Heaven, 2014
- The Solomon Curse, 2015
- Pirate, 2016
- The Romanov Ransom, 2017
- The Gray Ghost, 2018
- The Oracle, 2019
- Wrath of Poseidon, 2020
- Clive Cussler’s The Serpent’s Eye, 2026
Children’s Books
Short Story Anthologies
Non-Fiction Books
- The Sea Hunters, 1996
- The Sea Hunters II: More True Adventures with Famous Shipwrecks, 2002
- Built for Adventure: The Classic Automobiles of Clive Cussler, 2011
- Built to Thrill: More Classic Automobiles from Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt, 2016
Clive Cussler Biography
Clive Eric Cussler (July 15, 1931 – February 24, 2020) was an American adventure thriller author whose five fiction series, Dirk Pitt, the NUMA Files, the Oregon Files, Isaac Bell, and the Sam and Remi Fargo Adventures, collectively had more than 20 titles on the New York Times bestseller list, including eleven at number one.
Official website: cusslerbooks.com
Born in Aurora, Illinois, and raised in Alhambra, California, Clive Cussler attended Pasadena City College before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, where he worked as an aircraft mechanic and flight engineer. It was during this time that he discovered scuba diving and his passion for it, one that would stay with him throughout his entire life. After his discharge, he started working in advertising as a copywriter and then creative director at two major agencies, creating commercials that won awards at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. He began writing in 1965 and published his debut novel, The Mediterranean Caper, in 1973. The book was titled Mayday in the UK and Australia.
Clive Cussler founded the real-world National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) in 1979, a nonprofit dedicated to maritime and naval history. Under his leadership, NUMA located more than 60 historically important shipwrecks, including the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley. He received an honorary Doctor of Letters from SUNY Maritime College in 1997 for his non-fiction book The Sea Hunters, the Naval Heritage Award from the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation in 2002, and the ITW ThrillerMaster award in 2006.
Strand Magazine presented him with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. He was a fellow of the Explorers Club of New York, the Royal Geographical Society in London, and the American Society of Oceanographers.
Clive Cussler died in Paradise Valley, Arizona, in February 2020 at age 88.
Clive Cussler Book Adaptations
- Raise the Titanic! – adapted into the feature film Raise the Titanic! (1980)
- Sahara – adapted into the feature film Sahara (2005), starring Matthew McConaughey as Dirk Pitt
- The Sea Hunters – adapted into the documentary television series The Sea Hunters (2002–2006)
Clive Cussler Awards and Honors
Awards
- Honorary Doctor of Letters, SUNY Maritime College (1997)
- Naval Heritage Award, U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation (2002)
- Lowell Thomas Award (date varies by source)
- NOGI Award
- ITW ThrillerMaster Award (2006)
- Strand Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award (2017)
Nominations and Shortlists
- The Mediterranean Caper – Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original (1974)
- Skeleton Coast – ITW Award for Best Paperback original (2007)
I have @90% of his books and he is without a doubt my favorite author of the many authors that I collect. An amazing man who lived an amazing life.
I’ve been reading Clive’s Novels for at least 10+ years and have a good collection of his hard cover books and soft cover’s as well. If I find a hard cover that I have in soft cover, I’ll buy the Hard cover and donate the soft cover, that way I increase my Hard Cover collection. I have not had any luck finding Clive’s Children’s books, any clues would be appreciated.
Hopefully his son Dirk will continue in his dad’s footsteps and embark on his own Novels.
Check the used book website Addall.com, they have the books “The Adventures of Hotsy Totsy” and “The Adventures of Vinn Fizz”.
Some of his books have cross overs, but none have all characters. That would be interesting though. Start with a mystery solved by Issac Bell near the end of his career, but with some unintended consequences & loose ends that the Fargos later uncover, which have international threat consequences and requires Sam’s link with the CIA, and a need for the Oregon & crew, who team up with Dirk Pitt & the entire NUMA organization & Sandecker to resolve the biggest mystery in human history.
Does anyone know the book he wrote about the story of the bizantanium dig and subsequent smuggling of the mineral to Liverpool leading to Raise the Titanic. A prequel…
The Story is An Isaac Bell Adventure (The Titanic Secret)
Would it be possible to write a book with all the Clive cussler characters in one adventure.
I am still trying to find a chronological order for all of the various series. I am sure that some of them are intertwined and therefore how do you read them in total date of event order. For example do any of the Oregon books appear in between the Dirk Pitt ones? If so where do they fit?
Try this, it has it in chronological and publication order. I just have three books to read and then will be looking for some new ones.
https://mysterysequels.com/clive-cussler-books-in-order#comment-90451
As a reader of Tom Swift and Hardy Boys novels when I was young, Cussler brought me back to those joyful days of early reading pleasure. I introduced my students to him, and I was amazed at the huge positive response. Sure Shakespeare has his fans, but unless you are a scholar, hard to read for many today. My students wanted more, especially those who struggled with both reading and writing. When youthful imagination catches fire, joy and excitement follows! Not to be missed!
imm having trouble understanding foss gly the assasin
he appears in an isaac bell book set in 1912 but somehow still manages to be alive and fit in the dirk pitt book cyclops wich is set in 1985. could someone please help me with that?
The heart of Cussler’s genius lay in the manner and breadth of tales he told. His stories were all highly entertaining. Great art. Nope. But eminently fun and readable and varied. Good story tellers like Cussler from the Greeks on have always had a magic hold on readers, and he belongs in that honored group. And his books are readable. Good way to get young people to read beyond the classroom.
Tom Swift, the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and other like books surely fed Clive Cussler’s imagination to create the series of books he wrote. Fun, entertaining reading, and a solution for teachers who cannot get their students to read much of anything.
I literally have every CC novel. And it is with great sadness I have just learned of his passing. Clive Cussler ranks along side Sir Terry Pratchett (Disc World series) and one of the literary greats of the 20th/21st centuries. Where ever these 2 gentlemen may be, I hope they are in a pub somewhere swapping stories.
Absolutely agree, well said !!
I have everyone of Clive Cussler’s books, the movie Raise the Titanic and Sahara, on the series where he searches and locate famous shipwrecks. I am a big fan of his and his son Dirk Cussler. I even have his two books of his collection of automobiles and I must say I wish I had them in my driveway.