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Reading order

Rougon-Macquart Books in Order

This page lists the complete Rougon-Macquart reading order by Emile Zola, with book numbers, publication years, and a publication-order view for readers who want to start at the beginning.

Updated 2026-06-22 / 20 books / 1870-1893

Rougon-Macquart Reading Order

01 The Fortune of the Rougons 1870 Buy
02 The Kill / The Rush for the Spoil 1872 Buy
03 The Belly of Paris / The Fat and the Thin 1873 Buy
04 The Conquest of Plassans 1874 Buy
05 The Sin of Father Mouret / The Sinful Priest / Abbe Mouret's Transgression 1875 Buy
06 His Excellency Eugene Rougon 1876 Buy
07 The Drinking Den / The Dram Shop / L'Assommoir / The Gin Palace 1877 Buy
08 A Love Episode / A Page of Love / A Love Story 1877 Buy
09 Nana 1880 Buy
10 Restless House 1882 Buy
11 The Ladies' Paradise 1883 Buy
12 The Bright Side of Life / How Jolly Life Is / Zest for Life 1883 Buy
13 Germinal 1885 Buy
14 The Masterpiece / His Masterpiece 1886 Buy
15 The Soil / Earth 1887 Buy
16 The Dream 1888 Buy
17 The Beast in Man / The Beast Within 1890 Buy
18 Money 1891 Buy
19 The Downfall / The Debacle 1892 Buy
20 Doctor Pascal 1893 Buy

Rougon-Macquart Books by Publication Order

1870 The Fortune of the Rougons #1
1872 The Kill / The Rush for the Spoil #2
1873 The Belly of Paris / The Fat and the Thin #3
1874 The Conquest of Plassans #4
1875 The Sin of Father Mouret / The Sinful Priest / Abbe Mouret's Transgression #5
1876 His Excellency Eugene Rougon #6
1877 The Drinking Den / The Dram Shop / L'Assommoir / The Gin Palace #7
1877 A Love Episode / A Page of Love / A Love Story #8
1880 Nana #9
1882 Restless House #10
1883 The Ladies' Paradise #11
1883 The Bright Side of Life / How Jolly Life Is / Zest for Life #12
1885 Germinal #13
1886 The Masterpiece / His Masterpiece #14
1887 The Soil / Earth #15
1888 The Dream #16
1890 The Beast in Man / The Beast Within #17
1891 Money #18
1892 The Downfall / The Debacle #19
1893 Doctor Pascal #20

Questions readers ask

What is the correct Rougon-Macquart reading order?

The Rougon-Macquart reading order on this page follows the numbered series order where available, with publication years shown beside each book.

How many Rougon-Macquart books are there?

This catalog currently lists 20 Rougon-Macquart books published across 1870-1893.

Who writes the Rougon-Macquart books?

Rougon-Macquart is listed as a book series by Emile Zola.

Should I read Rougon-Macquart in publication order?

For most readers, publication order is the safest way to read Rougon-Macquart. If a separate series order is available, this page shows that order first and publication years beside each title.

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Source note: Sequencebooks organizes author, book, and series records from its catalog data. Publication years and series order are shown when available.