Clive Cussler Books in Order

This reading order guide provides the complete list of Clive Cussler books in order, from the very first to the latest, so you won’t miss anything!

Clive Cussler was called the “Grand Master of Adventure” because of his many great stories. Born July 15, 1931 in Aurora, Illinois but he spent most of his youth in Alhambra, California. Before he was a famous author he had many cool experiences. After a short time at Pasadena City College he joined the US Air Force during the Korean War. There he was a mechanic for airplanes and a flight engineer. He learned how machines worked and how to fix problems, skills he would later use in his books.

After the military Clive worked in advertising. He wrote ads and made TV and radio commercials. Some of his work won big awards, like one at the Cannes Film Festival. But deep down he wanted to write stories.

In 1965 he wrote his first novel. The main character was Dirk Pitt who would become very famous. Dirk Pitt is an adventurer, a marine engineer and a government agent all at once. His first book The Mediterranean Caper was published in 1973. After that he wrote many books that millions of people loved.

Clive’s books are special because they mix new technology with adventure. Many stories are about history, lost treasures and old secrets. He liked to ask himself questions like “What if Atlantis was real?” or “What if Abraham Lincoln was kidnapped instead of killed?” This made his books fun. More than 17 of his books were on the New York Times bestseller list, he was good at telling stories.

Clive also loved real adventures. He started a group called Numa to find old shipwrecks underwater. His team found over 60 shipwrecks around the world. They carefully saved many items and gave them to museums and schools. Clive’s love of exploring was not just in books it was real.

He also loved classic cars from the 1950s. He kept them in Arizona and Colorado where he got ideas for his stories.

Clive wrote many book series. The Dirk Pitt books are the most famous with titles like Raise the Titanic, Sahara and Poseidon’s Arrow. He also wrote other series like the Numa Files, Oregon Files, Isaac Bell and Fargo Adventure. Besides fiction he wrote non-fiction about the sea and even books for kids.Some of his books were made into movies like Raise the Titanic! and Sahara. The movies were mixed but showed how cool Clive’s stories are.

Dirk Pitt is like Clive’s own hero. He’s brave, curious and loves the sea and cars. He always gets into danger and finds a way out, which is why we love him.

Clive passed away February 24, 2020. But his stories live on and inspire people to dream of adventures and explore the unknown.