🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Emile Zola
Emile Zola was a renowned French author, journalist, playwright, practitioner of naturalism literary school, and contributor to theatrical naturalism. He was particularly popular for writing the Rougon-Macquart series, Three Cities series, Four Social series, and numerous standalone novels, short story collections, novellas, nonfiction, and anthologies. Zola had played an important role in France’s political liberalization and the wrongly accused & convicted army officer named Alfred Dreyfus’ exoneration. The highlight of his life and career was the Nobel Prize in the field of Literature in the first and second years of its introduction. Author Zola was born in 1840 in Paris, France.
All Book Series by Emile Zola
The Sin of Father Mouret / The Sinful Priest / Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Book 5 of 20 · published 1875
The Drinking Den / The Dram Shop / L'Assommoir / The Gin Palace
Book 7 of 20 · published 1877
The Bright Side of Life / How Jolly Life Is / Zest for Life
Book 12 of 20 · published 1883
Attack on the Mill and Other Stories
Latest in the series · book 7 of 7 · published 2018
The Experimental Novel and Other Essays
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 1880
A Cat of a Different Color
Series opener · book 1 of 12 · published 2020 Anthology · Kristine Kathryn Rusch,Annie Reed,Louisa Swann,Lisa Silverthorne,Dean Wesley Smith,Ray Vukcevich,Dory Crowe
A Cat of Perfect Taste
Book 2 of 12 · published 2020 Anthology · Kristine Kathryn Rusch,Stefon Mears,Dean Wesley Smith,Saki,Charles Dudley Warner,Philip Gilbert Hamerton,Kari Kilgore
A Cat of Disdainful Looks
Book 3 of 12 · published 2020 Anthology · Kristine Kathryn Rusch,Rudyard Kipling,Stefon Mears,Dean Wesley Smith,Mark Twain,Ray Vukcevich,John Adams,Jodi Lyn Nye
A Cat of Strange Lands
Book 4 of 12 · published 2020 Anthology · Kristine Kathryn Rusch,E. Nesbit,Annie Reed,Stefon Mears,Dean Wesley Smith,Kent Patterson,Meyari McFarland,Leigh Saunders
A Cat of Cozy Situations
Book 5 of 12 · published 2020 Anthology · Kristine Kathryn Rusch,Ed Gorman,Carole Nelson Douglas,Dean Wesley Smith,W.W. Jacobs,Mary A. Turzillo,Dory Crowe
A Cat of Space and Time
Book 6 of 12 · published 2020 Anthology · Kristine Kathryn Rusch,Andre Norton,Annie Reed,Lisa Silverthorne,Dean Wesley Smith,Cordwainer Smith,Geoffrey A. Landis,Mary Turzillo,Daemon Crowe
A Cat of Heroic Heart
Book 7 of 12 · published 2020 Anthology · Kristine Kathryn Rusch,Carole Nelson Douglas,E. Nesbit,Jamie Ferguson,Lisa Silverthorne,Stefon Mears,Dean Wesley Smith,Liz Pierce
A Cat of Roving Nature
Book 8 of 12 · published 2020 Co-authored · Kristine Kathryn Rusch,Annie Reed,Stefon Mears,Dory Crowe,C.J. Erick,Sylvia Warner
A Cat of Artistic Sensibilities
Book 9 of 12 · published 2021 Anthology · Kristine Kathryn Rusch,Henry Slesar,Joan Aiken,Annie Reed,Stefon Mears,Dean Wesley Smith,Mary Turzillo
A Cat of Fantastic Whims
Book 10 of 12 · published 2021 Anthology · Kristine Kathryn Rusch,E. Nesbit,Jamie Ferguson,Annie Reed,Lisa Silverthorne,Dean Wesley Smith,Geoffrey A. Landis,Liz Pierce
A Cat of Feral Instincts
Book 11 of 12 · published 2021 Anthology · Kristine Kathryn Rusch,Arthur Conan Doyle,Edgar Allan Poe,Brigid Collins,Dean Wesley Smith,Pamela Sargent,Jamie McNabb,Mary Turzillo,N. Margaret Campbell
A Cat of Romantic Soul
Latest in the series · book 12 of 12 · published 2021 Anthology · Kristine Kathryn Rusch,Anthea Sharp,Annie Reed,Lisa Silverthorne,Bonnie Elizabeth,Dean Wesley Smith,Kari Kilgore
Erotic Classics I: Kama Sutra, The Memoirs of Fanny Hill and Others
Book 3 of 5 · published 2014
Writers: Their Lives and Works
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 2018
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Emile Zola?
Emile Zola was a renowned French author, journalist, playwright, practitioner of naturalism literary school, and contributor to theatrical naturalism. He was particularly popular for writing the Rougon-Macquart series, Three Cities series, Four Social series, and numerous standalone novels, short story collections, novellas, nonfiction, and anthologies. Zola had played an important role in France's political liberalization and the wrongly accused & convicted army officer named Alfred Dreyfus' exoneration.
Which Emile Zola series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Rougon-Macquart series, the earliest of Emile Zola's multi-book series: it opens with The Fortune of the Rougons (1870) and runs to 20 books across 1870–1893, ending with Doctor Pascal (1893). Emile Zola's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Emile Zola written?
Emile Zola has 70 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1865 and 2025. 38 of them belong to 4 named series — the largest being the Rougon-Macquart series with 20 books — and 32 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Emile Zola's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Emile Zola's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Rougon-Macquart (1870–1893, 20 books), Three Cities (1896–2014, 3 books) and Four Social Romances (1899–1903, 3 books).
How are Emile Zola's books organised into series?
This guide splits Emile Zola's 70 books into 4 named series and 32 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Rougon-Macquart (20 books, 1870–1893); Four Social Romances (3 books, 1899–1903); Three Cities (3 books, 1896–2014); The Year of the Cat (12 books, 2020–2021).