🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About John Jakes
John Jakes is a noted American writer who was born in 1932 in Chicago, Illinois. His writings mostly include the American historical fiction and family saga. He was very fond of writing stories since the college days and used to sell a few to pulp magazines. John graduated from the DePauw University, Indiana in the year 1953 and later joined the Ohio State University and got his M.A in American Literature. He started writing for a pharmaceutical corporation and some advertisement agencies after completing in schooling. He used to write short stories at night in mystery and science fiction genres and publish them for livelihood. John Jakesbegan writing professionally when he was still studying in the Northwestern UNiversity and received his first check of $25 when he was only 18 years old.
All Book Series by John Jakes
Johnny Havoc and the Siren in Red / Making It Big
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 1968
Planet of the Apes
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 1963 Anthology · Pierre Boulle
Beneath The Planet of The Apes
Book 2 of 5 · published 1970 Anthology · Michael Avallone
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
Book 3 of 5 · published 1973 Anthology · Jerry Pournelle
Planet of the Apes Movie Novelization
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 2001 Anthology · William T. Quick
Savannah, or A Gift for Mr. Lincoln / Savannah Christmas
Book 34 of 35 · published 2004
The Best Western Stories of John Jakes
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 1991
Mohawk: The Life of Joseph Brant
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 1969
Fantastic Stories Special - 1975 Sword & Sorcery Annual
Book 5 of 19 · published 1975
Hollywood Fantasies: Ten Surreal Visions of Tinsel Town
Book 12 of 19 · published 1997
Silent Night, Deadly Night
Latest in the series · book 19 of 19 · published 2016
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is John Jakes?
John Jakes is a noted American writer who was born in 1932 in Chicago, Illinois. His writings mostly include the American historical fiction and family saga. He was very fond of writing stories since the college days and used to sell a few to pulp magazines.
Which John Jakes series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Johnny Havoc series, the earliest of John Jakes's multi-book series: it opens with Johnny Havoc (1960) and runs to 4 books across 1960–1968, ending with Johnny Havoc and the Siren in Red / Making It Big (1968). John Jakes's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has John Jakes written?
John Jakes has 95 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1952 and 2016. 34 of them belong to 9 named series — the largest being the Kent Family series with 8 books — and 61 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should John Jakes's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. John Jakes's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Johnny Havoc (1960–1968, 4 books), Lou Largo (1961–1962, 3 books) and Brak the Barbarian (1968–1985, 5 books), plus 5 more.
How are John Jakes's books organised into series?
This guide splits John Jakes's 95 books into 9 named series and 61 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Kent Family (8 books, 1974–1979); Brak the Barbarian (5 books, 1968–1985); Johnny Havoc (4 books, 1960–1968); Lou Largo (3 books, 1961–1962); II Galaxy (3 books, 1969), plus 4 further series.