Colleen McCullough Reading Order

5 books (2005–2013)

Colleen McCullough's Carmine Delmonico series comprises five historical fiction novels published between 2005 and 2013, following publication order. The complete series includes On, Off, Too Many Murders, Naked Cruelty, The Prodigal Son, and Sins of the Flesh. Each book builds on the previous installment, making sequential reading essential to fully appreciate the overarching narrative.

Start with On, Off, the first of 5 books in the Carmine Delmonico series.

#	Title
1	On, Off 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Too Many Murders 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Naked Cruelty 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Prodigal Son 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Sins of the Flesh 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

7 books (1990–2007)

The Masters of Rome series comprises seven historical fiction novels by Colleen McCullough, published between 1990 and 2007. This complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with The First Man in Rome and concluding with Antony and Cleopatra. The books chronicle the rise and fall of key figures in ancient Rome's republican and imperial periods, spanning from the late second century BCE through the age of Caesar and beyond.

Start with The First Man in Rome, the first of 7 books in the Masters of Rome series.

#	Title
1	The First Man in Rome 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Grass Crown 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Fortune's Favorites 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Caesar's Women 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Caesar 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The October Horse 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Antony and Cleopatra 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (1998–1998)

#	Title
1	The Courage and the Will 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

11 books (1974–2013)

Colleen McCullough's eleven standalone novels span from 1974 to 2013, each offering independent stories that should be read in publication order beginning with Tim. The collection encompasses historical fiction and non-fiction across genres ranging from contemporary drama to epic retellings and period pieces. Though each novel stands alone without recurring characters or interconnected plots, reading them in the order they were published provides insight into the author's evolving storytelling across four decades. The series is now complete.

Start with Tim, the first of 11 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Tim 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Thorn Birds 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	An Indecent Obsession 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	A Creed for the Third Millennium 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Ladies of Missalonghi 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Song of Troy 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Morgan's Run 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Touch 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Angel 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Bittersweet 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible