Les Rougon-Macquart Books in Order
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Les Rougon-Macquart is a literary cycle of twenty novels by French writer Émile Zola, subtitled Histoire naturelle et sociale d'une famille sous le Second Empire, reflecting its focus on the lives of members of a fictional family during the Second French Empire (1852–1870). The series explores the hereditary and environmental influences on individuals through the lens of naturalism. The family is divided into two branches: the Rougons, who represent the bourgeois and political aspects of society, and the Macquarts, who embody the working-class and more animalistic traits. The series was conceived as a scientific study of human behavior, using the family as a model to examine social and biological determinism. The first novel in the series is Le Rêve, published in 1888. The cycle spans multiple generations and examines various professions, social classes, and psychological conditions. The series is considered one of the most significant contributions to French naturalism.
Originally written in French, Les Rougon-Macquart was first published in 1871 in France.
Books in this series
Ordered by first publication where known. The official numbering for this series is incomplete in our sources, so we don't show series numbers we can't verify.
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1871 · Émile Zola
La Curée is the second novel in Émile Zola's Les Rougon-Macquart series, published in 1872. It explores the theme of property speculation and the…
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Buy on Amazon1871 · Émile Zola
This novel explores how a family, a small group of individuals, behaves within society as it grows and develops, giving rise to ten or twenty people…
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Buy on Amazon1873 · Émile Zola
In the middle of the great silence and the desert of the avenue, the market carts climbed toward Paris, their wheels bouncing with a rhythmic clatter…
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Buy on Amazon1874 · Émile Zola
La Conquête de Plassans (1874), published in English as The Conquest of Plassans and A Priest in the House, is the fourth novel in Émile Zola’s…
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Buy on Amazon1875 · Émile Zola
La Teuse entre dans l'église, pose son balai et son plumeau contre l'autel. Elle a terminé la lessive du semestre et traverse l'église pour sonner…
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Buy on Amazon1876 · Émile Zola
Son Excellence Eugène Rougon is the sixth novel in Émile Zola's Rougon-Macquart series. It was first published in 1876 as a serial in the newspaper…
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Buy on Amazon1876 · Émile Zola
L'Assommoir was published as a serial in 1876 and as a book in 1877. It is the seventh novel in Émile Zola's Les Rougon-Macquart series. The story…
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1879 · Émile Zola
Zola includes the family tree of the Rougon-Macquart in this volume because many readers asked for it, and it helps them navigate the large number of…
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Buy on Amazon1880 · Émile Zola
Nana is a novel by Émile Zola that explores the life of its eponymous character, a woman who rises from the underworld to exploit society. Zola uses…
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Buy on Amazon1882 · Émile Zola
Pot-Bouille is the tenth novel in Émile Zola’s Rougon-Macquart series. It critiques the social norms of the bourgeoisie during the Second French…
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Buy on Amazon1883 · Émile Zola
"The Ladies Paradise" is an 1883 novel by Émile Zola. It follows Denise Baudu, a 20-year-old woman who moves to Paris with her younger brothers and…
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Buy on Amazon1884 · Émile Zola
La joie de vivre is the twelfth novel in the Rougon-Macquart series by Émile Zola. It was first published in the periodical Gil Blas in 1883. The…
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Buy on Amazon1885 · Émile Zola
Germinal is the thirteenth novel in Émile Zola's Rougon-Macquart series. It highlights the exploitation of the working class and the struggles of the…
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1886 · Émile Zola
L'Œuvre is the fourteenth novel in the Rougon-Macquart series by Émile Zola. It was first serialized in the periodical Gil Blas in December 1885 and…
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Buy on Amazon1887 · Émile Zola
Jean walked this morning with a blue seed bag tied around his waist, holding the opening with his left hand. With his right hand, every three steps,…
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Buy on Amazon1888 · Émile Zola
Le Rêve is the sixteenth novel in the Rougon-Macquart series by Émile Zola. The story follows an orphan girl who falls in love with a nobleman. The…
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Buy on Amazon1890 · Émile Zola
La Bête humaine is an 1890 novel by Émile Zola, the seventeenth in his Les Rougon-Macquart series. The story centers on railway workers operating the…
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Buy on Amazon1891 · Émile Zola
L'Argent ("Money") is the eighteenth novel in the Rougon-Macquart series by Émile Zola. It was first serialized in the periodical Gil Blas starting…
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Buy on Amazon1891 · Émile Zola
Aristide Rougon, known as Saccard, is a failed property speculator determined to make his way once more in Paris, scheming and manipulating his way…
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Buy on Amazon1892 · Émile Zola
La Débâcle (1892), also translated as The Debacle and The Downfall, is a novel by Émile Zola and the penultimate novel in his Les Rougon-Macquart…
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1893 · Émile Zola
In the heat of a July afternoon, the room, with its shutters carefully closed, was filled with great calm. From the three windows, only thin beams of…
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Buy on AmazonYear unknown · Émile Zola
La Bete humaine (1890), the seventeenth novel in Zola's Rougon-Macquart series, is a tale of murder, passion, and possession that is also a…
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Buy on AmazonYear unknown · Émile Zola
The Dream by Émile Zola is a novel originally published in French as Le rêve. It was issued in the Canadian copyright series and later filmed from a…
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Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the Les Rougon-Macquart books in?
Read them in publication order — the list above is sorted by first publication where known, starting with “La curée”.
How many books are in the Les Rougon-Macquart series?
We list 27 books by Émile Zola , published between 1871–1895.
Where can I buy the Les Rougon-Macquart books?
Each title above links to Amazon. See our affiliate disclosure.
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Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted a wrong order, a missing book, or any other mistake? and we'll correct it.