Émile Zola books in order
French novelist, journalist, playwright, and poet
- Lived
- 1840–1902
- Country
- France
- Books
- 45
- Series
- 2
Émile Zola published 42 novels, 1 novella and 2 short story collections, beginning with Thérèse Raquin (1869). The 2 series include Les Rougon-Macquart (20 books, starting with The Fortune of the Rougons) and The Three Cities (3 books, starting with Lourdes). The best-known is Germinal (1885).
Updated September 2026
Les Rougon-Macquart books in order (20)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Fortune of the Rougons (1871) · 2 La Curée (1871) · 3 Le Ventre De Paris (1873) · 4 La Conquête De Plassans (1874) · 5 La Faute De L'Abbé Mouret (1875) · 6 Son Excellence Eugène Rougon (1876) · 7 L'Assommoir (1876) · 8 Une Page D'amour (1879) · 9 Nana (1880) · 10 Pot-Bouille (1882) · … all 20 below
- 1.
The Fortune of the Rougons (1871)
- 2.
La Curée (Oct 1871)
- 3.
Le Ventre De Paris (1873)
- 4.
La Conquête De Plassans (1874)
- 5.
La Faute De L'Abbé Mouret (1875)
- 6.
Son Excellence Eugène Rougon (1876)
- 7.
L'Assommoir (1876)
- 8.
Une Page D'amour (1879)
- 9.
Nana (1880)
- 10.
Pot-Bouille (1882)
- 11.
The Ladies' Paradise (1883)
- 12.
La Joie De Vivre (1884)
- 13.
Germinal (1885)
- 14.
L'Œuvre (1886)
- 15.
La Terre (1887)
- 16.
Le Rêve (1888)
- 17.
La Bête Humaine (1890)
- 18.
L'Argent (1891)
- 19.
La Débâcle (1892)
- 20.
Doctor Pascal (1893)
The Three Cities books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Lourdes (1894) · 2 Rome (1896) · 3 Paris (1897)
- 1.
Lourdes (1894)
- 2.
Rome (1896)
- 3.
Paris (1897)
Where to start with Émile Zola
Start here
The Fortune of the Rougons
Book 1 of Les Rougon-Macquart, the series that includes Germinal, Émile Zola's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
Les Mystères De Marseille (1867)
Madeleine Férat (1868)
Thérèse Raquin (1869)
The Experimental Novel (1880)
The Mysteries of Marseilles (1882)
Piping Hot! (1886)
His Masterpiece (1887)
The Conquest of Plassans (1887)
The Fat and the Thin (1888)
The Downfall (1892)
A Love Episode (1895)
His Excellency (1897)
The Dram-shop (1897)
The Three Cities (1897)
Abbe Mouret's Transgression (1900)
Travail (1900)
Truth (1900)
The Joy of Life (1901)
Fruitfulness (2013)
Novellas in order
Claude's Confession (1865)
Short story collections in order
Les Soirées De Médan (1880), with Guy de Maupassant and Joris-Karl Huysmans
Film and TV adaptations
- Maddalena Ferat (1920)Film · from Madeleine Férat
- Thérèse Raquin (1928)Film · from Thérèse Raquin
- Thérèse Raquin (1953)Film · from Thérèse Raquin
- Thirst (2009)Film · from Thérèse Raquin
- In Secret (2013)Film · from Thérèse Raquin
- The Game Is Over (1966)Film · from La Curée
- The Demise of Father Mouret (1970)Film · from La Faute De L'Abbé Mouret
- The Struggle (1931)Film · from L'Assommoir
- Gervaise (1956)Film · from L'Assommoir
- Nana (1926)Film · from Nana
- Nana (1934)Film · from Nana
- Nana (1955)Film · from Nana
- Lovers of Paris (1957)Film · from Pot-Bouille
- Au Bonheur des Dames (1930)Film · from The Ladies' Paradise
- Shop Girls of Paris (1943)Film · from The Ladies' Paradise
- The Paradise (2012)TV · from The Ladies' Paradise
- The Great Mine Disaster (1912)Film · from Germinal
- Germinal (1913)Film · from Germinal
- Germinal (1963)Film · from Germinal
- Germinal (1993)Film · from Germinal
- The Earth (1921)Film · from La Terre
- The Dream (1931)Film · from Le Rêve
- La Bête Humaine (1938)Film · from La Bête Humaine
- Human Desire (1954)Film · from La Bête Humaine
- La Bestia humana (1957)Film · from La Bête Humaine
- L'Argent (1928)Film · from L'Argent
Free to read
All free classicsTheresa Raquin
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Four Short Stories By Emile Zola
The Three Cities Trilogy
Money (L'Argent)
The Downfall (La Débâcle)
The Monomaniac (La bête humaine)
The Rush for the Spoil (La Curée)
Work [Travail]
The Soil (La terre)
English Translations of Works of Emile Zola
The trial of Emile Zola
The Dream
The Flood
![Cover of Work [Travail]](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/55282/pg55282.cover.medium.jpg)
About Émile Zola
Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism. He was a major figure in the political liberalization of France and in the exoneration of the falsely accused and convicted army officer Alfred Dreyfus, which is encapsulated in his renowned newspaper opinion headlined J'Accuse...! Zola was nominated for the first and second Nobel Prizes in Literature in 1901 and 1902.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Émile Zola FAQ
- How many books has Émile Zola written?
- Émile Zola published 42 novels, 1 novella and 2 short story collections that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Émile Zola's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Les Rougon-Macquart with The Fortune of the Rougons and The Three Cities with Lourdes. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Émile Zola's last book?
- The Joy of Life (1901).
- What is Émile Zola's most famous book?
- Germinal (1885) is Émile Zola's most widely read book.
- Are Émile Zola's books connected?
- 23 books belong to 2 series (Les Rougon-Macquart and The Three Cities); the other 22 books stand alone.
- Which Émile Zola books have been adapted?
- 13 books have been adapted for film or TV, including Madeleine Férat (as Maddalena Ferat, film, 1920), Thérèse Raquin (film, 1928), La Curée (as The Game Is Over, film, 1966) and La Faute De L'Abbé Mouret (as The Demise of Father Mouret, film, 1970).
- Can I read Émile Zola's books for free?
- Yes. 31 books by Émile Zola are in the public domain in the US and free to read online or download here.
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Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers, free texts from Project Gutenberg. Last updated September 2026.