Clive Cussler Books

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Clive Cussler is an author from Aurora, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He has been writing books for more than forty years and is a popular name in the world of thrillers. He particularly uses his experience in the field of underwater exploration as an influence for many of his books.

Order of Dirk Pitt Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Mediterranean Caper / Mayday! 1973 Description / Buy
2 Iceberg 1974 Description / Buy
3 Raise the Titanic! 1976 Description / Buy
4 Vixen 03 1978 Description / Buy
5 Night Probe! 1981 Description / Buy
6 Pacific Vortex 1983 Description / Buy
7 Deep Six 1984 Description / Buy
8 Cyclops 1986 Description / Buy
9 Treasure 1988 Description / Buy
10 Dragon 1990 Description / Buy
11 Sahara 1992 Description / Buy
12 Inca Gold 1994 Description / Buy
13 Shock Wave 1996 Description / Buy
14 Flood Tide 1997 Description / Buy
15 Atlantis Found 1999 Description / Buy
16 Valhalla Rising 2001 Description / Buy
17 Trojan Odyssey 2003 Description / Buy
18 Black Wind ( With: Dirk Cussler) 2004 Description / Buy
19 Treasure of Khan ( With: Dirk Cussler) 2006 Description / Buy
20 Arctic Drift ( With: Dirk Cussler) 2008 Description / Buy
21 Crescent Dawn ( With: Dirk Cussler) 2010 Description / Buy
22 Poseidon's Arrow ( With: Dirk Cussler) 2012 Description / Buy
23 Havana Storm ( With: Dirk Cussler) 2014 Description / Buy
24 Odessa Sea ( With: Dirk Cussler) 2016 Description / Buy
25 Celtic Empire ( With: Dirk Cussler) 2018 Description / Buy
26 The Devil's Sea ( By: Dirk Cussler) 2021 Description / Buy
27 The Corsican Shadow ( By: Dirk Cussler) 2023 Description / Buy
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Order of NUMA Files Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 Serpent ( With: Paul Kemprecos) 1999 Description / Buy
2 Blue Gold ( With: Paul Kemprecos) 2000 Description / Buy
3 Fire Ice ( With: Paul Kemprecos) 2002 Description / Buy
4 White Death ( With: Paul Kemprecos) 2003 Description / Buy
5 Lost City ( With: Paul Kemprecos) 2004 Description / Buy
6 Polar Shift ( With: Paul Kemprecos) 2005 Description / Buy
7 The Navigator ( With: Paul Kemprecos) 2007 Description / Buy
8 Medusa ( With: Paul Kemprecos) 2009 Description / Buy
9 Devil's Gate ( With: Graham Brown) 2011 Description / Buy
10 The Storm ( With: Graham Brown) 2012 Description / Buy
11 Zero Hour ( With: Graham Brown) 2013 Description / Buy
12 Ghost Ship ( With: Graham Brown) 2014 Description / Buy
13 The Pharaoh's Secret ( With: Graham Brown) 2015 Description / Buy
14 Nighthawk ( With: Graham Brown) 2017 Description / Buy
15 The Rising Sea ( With: Graham Brown) 2018 Description / Buy
16 Sea of Greed ( With: Graham Brown) 2019 Description / Buy
17 Journey of the Pharaohs ( With: Graham Brown) 2020 Description / Buy
18 Fast Ice ( With: Graham Brown) 2021 Description / Buy
19 Dark Vector ( With: Graham Brown) 2022 Description / Buy
20 Condor's Fury ( With: Graham Brown) 2023 Description / Buy
21 Desolation Code ( With: Graham Brown) 2024 Description / Buy

Order of Oregon Files Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 Golden Buddha ( With: Craig Dirgo) 2003 Description / Buy
2 Sacred Stone ( With: Craig Dirgo) 2004 Description / Buy
3 Dark Watch ( With: Jack Du Brul) 2005 Description / Buy
4 Skeleton Coast ( With: Jack Du Brul) 2006 Description / Buy
5 Plague Ship ( With: Jack Du Brul) 2008 Description / Buy
6 Corsair ( With: Jack Du Brul) 2009 Description / Buy
7 The Silent Sea ( With: Jack Du Brul) 2010 Description / Buy
8 The Jungle ( With: Jack Du Brul) 2011 Description / Buy
9 Mirage ( With: Jack Du Brul) 2013 Description / Buy
10 Piranha ( With: Boyd Morrison) 2015 Description / Buy
11 The Emperor's Revenge ( With: Boyd Morrison) 2017 Description / Buy
12 Typhoon Fury ( With: Boyd Morrison) 2017 Description / Buy
13 Shadow Tyrants ( With: Boyd Morrison) 2018 Description / Buy
14 Final Option ( With: Boyd Morrison) 2019 Description / Buy
15 Marauder ( With: Boyd Morrison) 2020 Description / Buy
16 Hellburner ( With: Mike Maden) 2022 Description / Buy
17 Fire Strike ( With: Mike Maden) 2023 Description / Buy
18 Ghost Soldier ( By: Mike Maden) 2024 Description / Buy
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Order of Isaac Bell Adventures Series with Jack Du Brul, Justin Scott

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Chase 2007 Description / Buy
2 The Wrecker ( With: Justin Scott) 2009 Description / Buy
3 The Spy ( With: Justin Scott) 2010 Description / Buy
4 The Race ( With: Justin Scott) 2011 Description / Buy
5 The Thief ( With: Justin Scott) 2012 Description / Buy
6 The Striker ( With: Justin Scott) 2013 Description / Buy
7 The Bootlegger ( With: Justin Scott) 2014 Description / Buy
8 The Assassin ( With: Justin Scott) 2015 Description / Buy
9 The Gangster ( With: Justin Scott) 2016 Description / Buy
10 The Cutthroat ( With: Justin Scott) 2017 Description / Buy
11 The Titanic Secret ( With: Jack Du Brul) 2019 Description / Buy
12 The Saboteurs ( With: Jack Du Brul) 2021 Description / Buy
13 The Sea Wolves ( By: Jack Du Brul) 2022 Description / Buy
14 The Heist ( By: Jack Du Brul) 2024 Description / Buy

Chronological Order of Isaac Bell Adventures Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Striker ( With: Justin Scott) 2013 Description / Buy
2 The Assassin ( With: Justin Scott) 2015 Description / Buy
3 The Chase 2007 Description / Buy
4 The Gangster ( With: Justin Scott) 2016 Description / Buy
5 The Wrecker ( With: Justin Scott) 2009 Description / Buy
6 The Spy ( With: Justin Scott) 2010 Description / Buy
7 The Race ( With: Justin Scott) 2011 Description / Buy
8 The Thief ( With: Justin Scott) 2012 Description / Buy
9 The Cutthroat ( With: Justin Scott) 2017 Description / Buy
10 The Titanic Secret ( With: Jack Du Brul) 2019 Description / Buy
11 The Bootlegger ( With: Justin Scott) 2014 Description / Buy
12 The Saboteurs ( With: Jack Du Brul) 2021 Description / Buy
13 The Sea Wolves ( By: Jack Du Brul) 2022 Description / Buy
14 The Heist ( By: Jack Du Brul) 2024 Description / Buy
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Order of Clive Cussler Children's Books

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Adventures of Vin Fiz 2006 Description / Buy
2 The Adventures of Hotsy Totsy 2010 Description / Buy

Order of Fargo Adventures Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 Spartan Gold ( With: Grant Blackwood) 2009 Description / Buy
2 Lost Empire ( With: Grant Blackwood) 2010 Description / Buy
3 The Kingdom ( With: Grant Blackwood) 2011 Description / Buy
4 The Tombs ( With: Thomas Perry) 2012 Description / Buy
5 The Mayan Secrets ( With: Thomas Perry) 2013 Description / Buy
6 The Eye of Heaven ( With: Russell Blake) 2014 Description / Buy
7 The Solomon Curse ( With: Russell Blake) 2015 Description / Buy
8 Pirate ( With: Robin Burcell) 2016 Description / Buy
9 The Romanov Ransom ( With: Robin Burcell) 2017 Description / Buy
10 The Gray Ghost ( With: Robin Burcell) 2018 Description / Buy
11 The Oracle ( With: Robin Burcell) 2019 Description / Buy
12 Wrath of Poseidon ( With: Robin Burcell) 2020 Description / Buy
13 The Serpent's Eye ( With: Robin Burcell) 2025 Description / Buy

Order of The Sea Hunters Series with Craig Dirgo

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Sea Hunters 1994 Description / Buy
2 The Sea Hunters II 2002 Description / Buy

Order of Clive Cussler Non-Fiction Books

# Read Title Published Details
1 Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed 1998 Description / Buy
2 Built for Adventure: The Classic Automobiles of Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt 2011 Description / Buy
3 Built to Thrill 2016 Description / Buy

Order of General Military Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 The British Home Guard Pocketbook ( By: A.F.U. Green) 0 Description / Buy
2 Otto Skorzeny: The Devil’s Disciple ( By: Stuart Smith) 1950 Description / Buy
3 The Forgotten Dead: Why 946 American Servicemen Died Off The Coast of Devon in 1944 ( By: Mark Rogerson, Ken Small) 1988 Description / Buy
4 Jackspeak: A Guide to British Naval Slang & Usage ( By: Rick Jolly) 1989 Description / Buy
5 Joshua L. Chamberlain: The Life in Letters of a Great Leader of the American Civil War ( By: Thomas A. Desjardin) 1999 Description / Buy
6 Hunt the Bismarck: The Pursuit of Germany's Most Famous Battleship ( By: Angus Konstam) 2003 Description / Buy
7 Out of Nowhere: A history of the military sniper, from the Sharpshooter to Afghanistan ( By: Martin Pegler) 2004 Description / Buy
8 Rome at War ( By: Adrian Goldsworthy) 2005 Description / Buy
9 Struggle for a Vast Future: The American Civil War ( By: Aaron Sheehan-Dean) 2006 Description / Buy
10 Rolling Thunder In A Gentle Land: The Vietnam War Revisited ( By: Andrew Wiest) 2006 Description / Buy
11 FUBAR: Soldier Slang of World War II ( By: Gordon L. Rottman) 2007 Description / Buy
12 An Officer's Manual of the Western Front: 1914-1918 ( By: Stephen Bull) 2008 Description / Buy
13 Warship 2008 ( By: John Jordan) 2008 Description / Buy
14 Deceiving Hitler: Double-Cross and Deception in World War II ( By: Terry Crowdy) 2008 Description / Buy
15 Empire of the Seas: How the Navy Forged the Modern World ( By: Brian Lavery) 2009 Description / Buy
16 The English Civil Wars, 1640-1660 ( By: Blair Worden) 2009 Description / Buy
17 No Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Poland's Forces in World War II (General Mi ( By: Kenneth K. Koskodan) 2009 Description / Buy
18 Battleground Prussia ( By: Prit Buttar) 2010 Description / Buy
19 The Road to Victory: From Pearl Harbor to Okinawa ( By: Dale A. Dye, Robert J. O'Neill) 2011 Description / Buy
20 The Spitfire Pocket Manual: 1939-1945 ( By: Martin Robson) 2011 Description / Buy
21 Silent Killers: Submarines and Underwater Warfare ( With: James P. Delgado) 2011 Description / Buy
22 Warship 2011 ( By: John Jordan) 2011 Description / Buy
23 Quick Training for War (Short Story) ( By: Robert Baden-Powell, Martin Robson) 2011 Description / Buy
24 Panther: Germany's quest for combat dominance ( By: Michael; Green Gladys Green) 2012 Description / Buy
25 The Para Fitness Guide ( By: Sam McGrath) 2012 Description / Buy
26 The Rice Paddy Navy: U.S. Sailors Undercover in China ( By: Linda Kush) 2012 Description / Buy
27 The Commando Pocket Manual: 1940-1945 (Short Story) ( By: Christopher Westhorp) 2012 Description / Buy
28 Concrete Hell: Urban Warfare From Stalingrad to Iraq ( By: Lou DiMarco) 2012 Description / Buy
29 America's Elite: U.S. Special Forces From The American Revolution To The Present Day ( By: Chris McNab) 2014 Description / Buy
30 American Tanks & AFVs of World War II ( By: Michael Green) 2014 Description / Buy
31 Invasion 1914: The Schlieffen Plan to the Battle of the Marne ( By: Ian Senior) 2014 Description / Buy
32 No Victory in Valhalla: The untold story of Third Battalion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment from Bastogne to Berchtesgaden ( By: Ian Gardner) 2014 Description / Buy
33 The SAS Pocket Manual: 1941-1945 (Short Story) ( By: Christopher Westhorp) 2014 Description / Buy
34 Company of Heroes: A Forgotten Medal of Honor and Bravo Company’s War in Vietnam ( By: Eric Poole) 2015 Description / Buy
35 Germany Ascendant: The Eastern Front 1915 ( By: Prit Buttar) 2015 Description / Buy
36 The History of the Panzerwaffe: Volume I: 1939–42 ( By: Thomas Anderson) 2015 Description / Buy
37 Finland at War: the Winter War 1939-40 ( By: Vesa Nenye) 2015 Description / Buy
38 American Knights: The Untold Story of the Men of the Legendary 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion ( By: Victor Failmezger) 2015 Description / Buy
39 Finland at War: The Continuation and Lapland Wars 1941–45 ( By: Chris Birks, Vesa Nenye, Peter Munter, Toni Wirtanen) 2016 Description / Buy
40 Liberty or Death: The French Revolution ( By: Peter McPhee) 2016 Description / Buy
41 Samurai Armour: Volume I: The Japanese Cuirass ( By: Trevor Absolon) 2016 Description / Buy
42 Maps of War: Mapping conflict through the centuries ( By: Jeremy Black) 2016 Description / Buy
43 We March Against England: Operation Sea Lion, 1940-41 ( By: Robert Forczyk) 2016 Description / Buy
44 Instrument of War: The German Army 1914–18 ( By: Dennis E. Showalter) 2016 Description / Buy
45 With Their Bare Hands: General Pershing, the 79th Division, and the battle for Montfaucon ( By: Gene Fax) 2017 Description / Buy
46 Loco Spotter’s Guide (Short Story) ( By: Stuart Black) 2017 Description / Buy
47 The Long Range Desert Group in World War II ( By: Gavin Mortimer) 2017 Description / Buy
48 Sevastopol’s Wars: Crimea from Potemkin to Putin ( By: Mungo Melvin) 2017 Description / Buy
49 Bloodstained Sands: U.S. Amphibious Operations in World War II ( By: Michael G. Walling) 2017 Description / Buy
50 Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants ( By: Stephen Sewell, James Kinnear) 2017 Description / Buy
51 Shadow over the Atlantic: The Luftwaffe and the U-boats: 1943–45 ( By: Jim Laurier, Robert Forsyth) 2017 Description / Buy
52 Shot Down and in the Drink: True Stories of RAF and Commonwealth Aircrews Saved from the Sea in WWII ( By: Graham Pitchfork) 2017 Description / Buy
53 The Splintered Empires ( By: Prit Buttar) 2017 Description / Buy
54 Panther ( By: Thomas Anderson) 2017 Description / Buy
55 The Second World Wars ( By: Victor Davis Hanson) 2017 Description / Buy
56 Concorde Pocket Manual ( By: Richard Johnstone-Bryden) 2017 Description / Buy
57 Pacific Thunder: The US Navy's Central Pacific Campaign, August 1943–October 1944 ( By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver) 2017 Description / Buy
58 Case Red: The Collapse of France ( By: Robert Forczyk) 2017 Description / Buy
59 Legion versus Phalanx ( By: Myke Cole) 2018 Description / Buy
60 The Mosquito Pocket Manual: All Marks in Service 1941–1945 (Short Story) ( By: Martin Robson) 2018 Description / Buy
61 Morning Star, Midnight Sun: The Guadalcanal-Solomons Naval Campaign of World War II ( By: Jeffrey R. Cox) 2018 Description / Buy
62 Cutty Sark Pocket Manual (Short Story) ( By: Arron Hewett, Louise MacFarlane) 2018 Description / Buy
63 Snapdragon: The World War II Exploits of Darby's Ranger and Combat Photographer Phil Stern ( By: Liesl Bradner, Phil Stern) 2018 Description / Buy
64 Tidal Wave: From Leyte Gulf to Tokyo Bay ( By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver) 2018 Description / Buy
65 HMS Belfast Pocket Manual ( By: John Blake) 2018 Description / Buy
66 The German Soldier's Pocket Manual: 1914–18 (Short Story) ( By: Stephen Bull) 2018 Description / Buy
67 Not Enough Room to Swing a Cat: Naval slang and its everyday usage ( By: Martin Robson) 2018 Description / Buy
68 Valley Of The Shadow: The Siege Of Dien Bien Phu ( By: Kevin M. Boylan, Luc Olivier) 2018 Description / Buy
69 Day of the Rangers: The Battle of Mogadishu 25 Years On ( By: Leigh Neville) 2018 Description / Buy
70 Forts: An illustrated history of building for defence ( By: Jeremy Black, National Archives) 2018 Description / Buy
71 The Third Reich is Listening: Inside German codebreaking 1939–45 ( By: Christian Jennings) 2018 Description / Buy
72 Charlie Company Journeys Home: The Forgotten Impact on the Wives of Vietnam Veterans ( By: Andrew Wiest) 2018 Description / Buy
73 Run to the Sound of the Guns: The True Story of an American Ranger at War in Afghanistan and Iraq ( By: Nicholas Moore, Mir Bahmanyar) 2018 Description / Buy
74 Soviet T-54 Main Battle Tank ( By: Stephen Sewell, James Kinnear, Andrey Aksenov) 2018 Description / Buy
75 Hitler's Death ( By: Luke Daly-Groves) 2019 Description / Buy
76 The Great Bear at War: The Russian and Soviet Army, 1917–Present ( By: Chris McNab, Mark Galeotti) 2019 Description / Buy
77 The Pirate World: A History of the Most Notorious Sea Robbers ( By: Angus Konstam) 2019 Description / Buy
78 How to Survive in the Georgian Navy: A Sailor's Guide (Short Story) ( By: National Archives) 2019 Description / Buy
79 An Englishman Abroad: SOE Agent Dick Mallaby’s Italian Missions, 1943–45 ( By: Gianluca Barneschi) 2019 Description / Buy
80 War Bows: Longbow, crossbow, composite bow and Japanese yumi ( By: Mike Loades) 2019 Description / Buy
81 Pilgrim Days: A Lifetime of Soldiering from Vietnam to the SAS ( By: Alastair MacKenzie) 2019 Description / Buy
82 Panzerartillerie: Firepower for the Panzer Divisions ( By: Thomas Anderson) 2019 Description / Buy
83 Holding the Line: The Naval Air Campaign In Korea ( By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver) 2019 Description / Buy
84 World War II Battle by Battle ( By: Nikolai Bogdanovic) 2019 Description / Buy
85 Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands ( By: Rick Jolly) 2019 Description / Buy
86 Warship 2019 ( By: John Jordan) 2019 Description / Buy
87 Scapa 1919: The Archaeology of a Scuttled Fleet ( By: Innes McCartney) 2019 Description / Buy
88 Wade McClusky and the Battle of Midway ( By: David Rigby) 2019 Description / Buy
89 German submarine U-1105 'Black Panther': The naval archaeology of a U-boat (Short Story) ( By: Aaron Stephan Hamilton) 2019 Description / Buy
90 Soviet T-55 Main Battle Tank ( By: Stephen Sewell, James Kinnear, Andrey Aksenov) 2019 Description / Buy
91 The Hurricane Pocket Manual: All marks in service 1939–45 (Short Story) ( By: Martin Robson) 2019 Description / Buy
92 On a Knife's Edge ( By: Prit Buttar) 2019 Description / Buy
93 Case White: The Invasion of Poland 1939 ( By: Robert Forczyk) 2019 Description / Buy
94 Sent by the Iron Sky: The Legacy of an American Parachute Battalion in World War II ( By: Ian Gardner) 2019 Description / Buy
95 The Persian War: In Herodotus and Other Ancient Voices ( By: William Shepherd) 2019 Description / Buy
96 Blazing Star, Setting Sun: The Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign November 1942–March 1943 ( By: Jeffrey R. Cox) 2020 Description / Buy
97 Audacious Missions of World War II: Daring Acts of Bravery Revealed Through Letters and Documents from the Time ( By: National Archives) 2020 Description / Buy
98 Be PARA Fit: The 4-Week Formula for Elite Physical Fitness ( By: Sam McGrath) 2020 Description / Buy
99 Hitler's Tanks: German Panzers of World War II ( By: Chris McNab) 2020 Description / Buy
100 The Master Shipwright's Secrets: How Charles II built the Restoration Navy ( By: Richard Endsor) 2020 Description / Buy
101 Lawrence of Arabia on War: The Campaign in the Desert 1916–18 ( By: Rob Johnson) 2020 Description / Buy
102 The Devil's Bridge: The German Victory at Arnhem, 1944 ( By: Anthony Tucker-Jones) 2020 Description / Buy
103 Rome - City in Terror: The Nazi Occupation 1943–44 ( By: Victor Failmezger) 2020 Description / Buy
104 I Will Run Wild: The Pacific War from Pearl Harbor to Midway ( By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver) 2020 Description / Buy
105 The Reckoning ( By: Prit Buttar) 2020 Description / Buy
106 Mutiny on the Spanish Main: HMS Hermione and the Royal Navy's Revenge ( By: Angus Konstam) 2020 Description / Buy
107 Blood, Metal and Dust: The Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq 2001–14 ( By: Ben Barry) 2020 Description / Buy
108 The Churchill Quiz Book: How much do you know about Britain's wartime leader? ( By: Kieran Whitworth) 2021 Description / Buy
109 Warship 2021 ( By: John Jordan) 2021 Description / Buy
110 Soviet T-62 Main Battle Tank ( By: Stephen Sewell, James Kinnear, Andrey Aksenov) 2021 Description / Buy
111 Jutland 1916: The Archaeology of a Naval Battlefield ( By: Innes McCartney) 2021 Description / Buy
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Clive Cussler Anthologies

# Read Title Published Details
1 Thriller 2 2009 Description / Buy
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Print: Print PDF

He is an American author who is best known for writing adventure novels, many of them based around nautical exploration, or at least involving similar themes. This is mainly due to Cussler’s love of underwater exploration and the fact he was the actual founder of the real-life National Underwater and Maine Agency (NUMA), which he based a series of novels around.

Clive Cussler is particularly famous for his series of books featuring Dirk Pitt, an operative with the National Underwater and Marine Agency or NUMA, an organization that Cussler himself formed. The organization has discovered a variety of shipwreck sites. His work has particularly inspired a few films.

Clive Cussler was born in the city of Aurora in the US state of Illinois in July 1931. However, although he was born in Auroroa, his family moved west, and Cussler actually spent his formative years in the Californian city of Alhambra, which is in the Los Angeles County region of the state. After leaving high school, Cussler stayed in his home state of California to attend Pasadena City College. However, he sent two years in further education before enlisting for service in the United States Air Force, where he served in the Korean War in the engineering side of things.

After being discharged from the United States Air Force, Cussler, via a stint in the advertising industry, turned to writing, almost by chance. While his wife worked nights, he would often find himself alone of an evening with nothing to occupy his time after his children were asleep, so he turned to writing to fill his time. Needless to say, looking at his success over 50 years down the line, it was not a bad decision. However, while Cussler started what was, at the time, a hobby in 1965, it wasn’t until 1973 that his first book was published. That book, The Mediterranean Caper, was the first book to be published in the Dirt Pitt series (although not the first chronologically – that honour falls to Pacific Vortex, which was published in 1983).

After the success of The Mediterranean Caper, and Iceberg, the second book in the Dirk Pitt series, Cussler kept up writing solely the Dirk Pitt series of books until the late 90s, when he created The NUMA Files series of books (although he did write a couple of non-fiction books earlier in the ’90s). The NUMA Files were based around the fictional character of Kurt Austin, although NUMA itself is a very real thing, having been created by Cussler as an underwater investigation unit. There is often a crossover between Cussler’s Dirk Pitt series and The NUMA Files series of books, mostly with character making appearances in both series, with Dirk Pitt himself making appearances in several of The NUMA Files series. Serpent, the first book in The NUMA Files series, was published in 1999, and Cussler actually co-authored it with Paul Kemprecos. As well as Kemprecos, Cussler has also co-authored several books in the series with Graham Brown.

In 2003, Clive Cussler then created another spin-off from the Dirk Pitt series of books called The Oregon Files. Again, this would have a nautical slant, as it focuses on the crew of the Oregon, a high-tech ship which takes on undercover missions for various agencies in order to stop high-profile criminals, as well as attempt to defeat terrorists. The first book in The Oregon Files series of books is Golden Buddha, which Cussler co-authored with Craig Dirgo. Cussler has also worked with Jack Du Brul and Body Morrison on The Oregon Files series.

In 2006, Cussler authored his first children’s novels, The Adventures of Vin Fiz, and he followed that up in 2010 with The Adventures of Hotsy Totsy.

While continuing the Dirk Bell series, The NUMA Files and The Oregon Files, Clive Cussler created yet another series of books, this time set in the early part of the 20th century, featuring a character called Isaac Bell. Unlike the majority of other books written by Clive Cussler, the Isaac Bell series of books do not have a nautical theme, although they do retain Cussler’s love for gadgetry and over-the-top plots. The first book in the Isaac Bell series was published in 2007 and was called The Chase. Cussler authored this on his own, but has collaborated with Justin Scott on most of the series.

And just when you think Cussler couldn’t create any more adventurers, in 2009, the first book in the Fargo Adventures was published, which was called Spartan Gold. It features Sam and Remi Fargo, who are treasures husband-and-wife treasure hunters. Cussler has co-authored books in the Fargo Adventures series with Grant Blackwood, Thomas Perry and Russell Blake.

Clive Cussler Awards

In 2017, Clive Cussler was awarded a lifetime achievement award from Strand Mystery Magazine. With a forty-two year career, over sixty novels and a millions of fans worldwide, this award is very deserved. He was awarded at a cocktail party in front of a group of his peers, The Strand Mystery Magazine is a magazine that posts previously unpublished works from great authors of the past as well as new works of fiction from up and coming authors. In addition to writing tips, articles and interviews with masters of the craft.

Chronological Order of Clive Cussler Books

In the Dirk Pitt series, the first novel would be The Pacific Vortex followed by the Mediterranean Caper. Following on from that, the rest of the Dirk Pitt book series can be read in the same order as the publication order.

All of the other Clive Cussler book series, such as the Isaac Bell Adventures and the Oregon Files have the same chronological order as their publication dates.

Clive Cussler Books Made Into Movies

Two of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novels have been made into movies. The 1976 novel Raise the Titanic! was made into a film in 1980. Richard Jordan stars as Dirk Pitt while Jason Robards starred as another character whom has appeared in many of Cussler’s novels, Admiral James Sandecker. The movie was critical panned and was a box office failure.

It would not be until 2005 when another Cussler novel was adapted into a movie. His 1992 novel Sahara was adapted into a movie with Matthew McConaughey starred at Dirk. William H. Macy appeared as Sandecker. Steve Zahn played Al Giordino, Pitt’s long-time sidekick. Penelope Cruz and Rainn Wilson were also in the movie. The movie was tepidly received by critics and failed to make back its budget and promotional costs. There were also concerns over how the filmmakers bribed the Moroccan government to use some sites for shooting the movie.

Best Clive Cussler Books

There are a number of prominent books that Clive Cussler has written over the years:

Raise the Titanic: This 1976 book entails the discovery that the Titanic, the famed ocean liner that sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in 1912, has a rare mineral in its wreckage. This is believed to be the only source of such a mineral to power up a top secret defense program. This leads to Dirk Pitt and the United States defense department deciding to find a way to raise the massive shipwreck to the top of the ocean to salvage the mineral.

Dragon: This 1990 Dirk Pitt novel entails terrorists looking to take back nuclear bombs as a means of destroying the United States. This comes as a desire from the terrorists to bring Japan back to its former glory from before the time the United States bombed the country in World War II. The story has a prologue about a B-29 bomber that was to carry a third nuclear bomb to Japan being shot down off of the Japanese coastline. This novel marks the first time Cussler himself makes an appearance in one of his own stories.

Plague Ship: Written in 2008 with help from Jack Du Brul, Plague Ship is a book in the Oregon Files series of stories. This book features Juan Cabrillo as he looks to find out who could have destroyed a cruise ship and who spread an Ebola-like plague on board. This leads to the discovery of an extremist organization looking to try and make much of the world’s population sterile. The extremist group is believed to be a thinly-veiled version of the controversial Scientologist organization.

Clive Cussler FAQs

Q: When was the author Clive Cussler born?

A: The author Clive Cussler was born on July 15th 1931 in the American city of Aurora, Illinois.

Q: What was the first book Clive Cussler had published?

A: The first book Clive Cussler had published was The Mediterranean Caper, the first novel to feature Dirk Pitt, which was published in 1973.

Q: Is NUMA a real organization?

A: Yes, it is. The National Underwater and Marine Agency is an actual organization founded by Clive Cussler for the purposes of “preserving our maritime heritage through the discovery, archaeological survey and conservation of shipwreck artifacts.” Cussler went on to base some books about the organization which in turn help fund NUMA.

Q: How many shipwrecks has NUMA discovered?

A: NUMA is always active, but as of this writing that have discovered more than sixty shipwreck sites.
The most notable of the discoveries is The Carpathia which is most famous for being the first responding ship of the Titanic survivors.

Q: Is Clive Cussler in any of his books?

A: Yes, he is. What started as a joke for his editor that was never removed, Cussler is now a frequent character in his stories. Sometimes he is a minor character while other times he is something of a “deus ex machina” in that he gives the main character a key piece of information to move the story forward.

When Does The Next Clive Cussler book come out?

Clive Cussler doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Dark Vector and was released on May, 24th 2022. It is the newest book in the NUMA Files Series.

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6 thoughts on “Clive Cussler”

  1. I REALLY, REALLY LOVE READING CLIVE CUSSLERS’ BOOKS. ONCE I START ONE I FIND IT VERY HARD TO PUT IT DOWN. SOME ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS, BUT ALL OF THEM HAVE PROVIDED ME WITH MANYN HOURS OF ENJOYMENT.

  2. I have not read all of Clive Cussler’s books but the ones I have read I could not lay down. I especially enjoy the Dirk Pitt series and the Fargo series. My goal is to read every one of his books. Our Public Library here in our small town has done a book discussion on Arctic Drift which was enjoyed by all. I am so sorry that we have lost a great writer.

  3. Rest in Piece Mr. Cussler, Its because of you I took up reading while stationed in Okinawa, Japan in 1976. The first Book I ever read from cover to cover was your book Raise the Titanic and I’ve been hooked on reading every since. My Personal Book Collection consist of over 250 books and of that over 45 of your books.

    Thank You

  4. anyone have a clue – has Isaac Bell “interacted” with any present day characters besides in The Titanic Secret?

  5. I started reading Cussler with the Dirk Pitt series but that got just a bit too audacious for my liking.

    I’ve got to say that the Oregon Files series is probably his best work. He works well with Jack De Brul and Juan Cabrillo is fantastic.

    The Silent Sea is my personal favourite. It was pretty slow to begin with but I felt that was just setting up the plot etc. Once it got going around 25% into the book – thank you Mr. Kindle – I really got hooked on it.

    One thing I liked was that I had no idea what the Ronish brothers had found or what it actually meant and how it really affected the story. it just kept me reading.

    I don’t want to spoil anything but man, that ending got me. I’m embarrassed to admit that I totally fell for it!

  6. I can’t believe the Dirk Pitt series is still going strong all these years later!

    I just finished reading Odessa Sea. I’ve actually read every single one over the course of the last couple of months. It’s been quite the journey that’s for sure.

    I might need a little break before I read any more Cussler but I’m looking forward to doing so.

    I think my favourite book in the series was Atlantis Found. What a book that was. That was the one where Dirk discovers Atlantis obviously. It was an absolutely crazy plot and it was the page turner of page turners. I just could not put it down.

    I love the style of the short chapters. Need more authors like that.

    Looking forward to reading more Cussler. Thanks for these lists.

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