🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Ken Follett
Born in Cardiff, Wales on June 5, 1949 Ken Follett is Welsh thriller and historical-fiction writer. As a child, Follett’s strict and religious parents barred him and his three siblings from watching movies or television. Consequently, Follett developed an early affinity to reading that carried throughout his teenage years. Despite his love for words, Follett was never a good student until he began attending private school in London. After high school, Follett was admitted to the University College in London where he majored in philosophy and became actively enamored and involved in left-center politics. At the young age of nineteen, Follett became engaged to his first wife and celebrated the birth of a son Emanuele later that year.
All Book Series by Ken Follett
The Heist of the Century / Under the Streets of Nice / The Gentleman of 16 July
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 1978 Co-authored · Rene L. Maurice
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ken Follett?
Born in Cardiff, Wales on June 5, 1949 Ken Follett is Welsh thriller and historical-fiction writer. As a child, Follett's strict and religious parents barred him and his three siblings from watching movies or television. Consequently, Follett developed an early affinity to reading that carried throughout his teenage years.
Which Ken Follett series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Apples Carstairs series, the earliest of Ken Follett's multi-book series: it opens with The Big Black (1974) and runs to 3 books across 1974–1975, ending with The Big Hit (1975). Ken Follett's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Ken Follett written?
Ken Follett has 40 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1974 and 2025. 13 of them belong to 4 named series — the largest being the Kingsbridge series with 5 books — and 27 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Ken Follett's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Ken Follett's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Apples Carstairs (1974–1975, 3 books), Piers Roper (1975–1982, 2 books) and Kingsbridge (1989–2023, 5 books), plus 1 more.
How are Ken Follett's books organised into series?
This guide splits Ken Follett's 40 books into 4 named series and 27 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Kingsbridge (5 books, 1989–2023); Apples Carstairs (3 books, 1974–1975); Century Trilogy (3 books, 2010–2014); Piers Roper (2 books, 1975–1982).