Danielle Steel
in order.
The best-selling author alive: every Danielle Steel book in order, from Going Home to today.
Danielle Steel is the best-selling living author in the world, with more than 800 million copies sold and over 190 novels published since her 1973 debut, Going Home. Born in New York City in 1947 and raised partly in France, she has spent five decades chronicling love, loss, family secrets, and second chances, often drawing on the glamorous worlds of San Francisco, New York, and Europe that she knows firsthand.
Steel is famous for her relentless work ethic — she has written multiple books a year for decades, often working on several manuscripts at once at her vintage 1946 Olympia typewriter. Dozens of her novels have been adapted into TV movies and miniseries, and she has spent more consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list than any other author, a feat recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Where to start
The good news about Danielle Steel: almost every book is a standalone, so you can start anywhere. Her full catalog exceeds 190 novels — the list below is the essential ~60, in publication order. If you want her at her peak, start with the late-1980s blockbusters: Kaleidoscope (1987), Zoya (1988), or Jewels (1992), which show off her signature sweeping, decades-spanning family sagas. For classic early Steel, begin with The Promise (1978) or The Ring (1980); for her modern voice, try Spy (2019) or The Affair (2021). Reading in publication order works well if you want to watch her style evolve, but there are no series to keep track of — pick whatever premise grabs you.
Standalone books by Steel 67 BOOKS · BY YEAR
In publication order — read these in any order you like.
01
Going Home 1973
Steel's debut novel, about a single mother rebuilding her life in San Francisco.
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02
Passion's Promise 1976
A wealthy socialite falls for an ex-convict writer from a different world.
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03
The Promise 1978
Her first major bestseller: lovers torn apart by a car crash and a mother's lie, based on a screenplay.
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04
Season of Passion 1979
A young woman's secret life with a broken football star.
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05
The Ring 1980
A sweeping saga following one family from Nazi Germany through post-war America.
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06
Palomino 1981
A heartbroken photographer starts over on a California ranch.
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07
Remembrance 1981
A wartime romance spanning from occupied Italy to New York society.
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08
A Perfect Stranger 1981
A young wife trapped in duty meets the stranger who changes everything.
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09
Once in a Lifetime 1982
A famous author confronts tragedy and an unexpected love.
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10
Crossings 1982
Lovers meet aboard an ocean liner as World War II tears their lives apart.
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11
Changes 1983
A bicoastal romance between a New York anchorwoman and an L.A. heart surgeon.
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12
Thurston House 1983
A father and son's saga set in a grand San Francisco mansion.
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13
Full Circle 1984
One woman's journey through the upheavals of the 1960s and 70s.
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14
Family Album 1985
A Hollywood actress-turned-director holds her family together across decades.
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15
Secrets 1985
The tangled private lives behind a glamorous TV drama.
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16
Wanderlust 1986
A sheltered heiress breaks free to travel the dangerous world of the 1930s.
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17
Fine Things 1987
A department-store executive finds love, loss, and a custody fight that tests him.
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18
Kaleidoscope 1987
Three sisters separated by tragedy are hunted down years later by a man determined to reunite them — one of her most beloved novels.
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19
Zoya 1988
A young Russian countess flees the revolution and rebuilds her life across two continents and two world wars.
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20
Star 1989
A country girl's rise to Hollywood stardom collides with a love she can't have.
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21
Daddy 1989
A husband left to raise three children alone discovers who he really is.
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22
Message from Nam 1990
A young journalist reports from Vietnam and loses her heart there.
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23
Heartbeat 1991
A TV producer and a pregnant, abandoned wife find each other.
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24
No Greater Love 1991
A Titanic survivor sacrifices everything to raise her orphaned siblings.
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25
Jewels 1992
An American duchess builds a jewelry empire in wartime France — adapted into a hit miniseries.
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26
Mixed Blessings 1992
Three couples confront the hopes and heartbreaks of trying to have children.
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27
Vanished 1993
A kidnapped child and a mother whose past hides shocking secrets.
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28
Accident 1994
A single phone call about a car crash unravels a seemingly perfect marriage.
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29
The Gift 1994
A slim, tender novel about a small-town family healed by an unexpected young visitor — one of her best-loved books.
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30
Lightning 1995
A powerhouse attorney's life is struck by a devastating diagnosis.
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31
Five Days in Paris 1995
Two strangers' lives change forever during five days in Paris.
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32
Malice 1996
A young woman survives an abusive past and fights blackmail to claim her future.
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33
Silent Honor 1996
A Japanese-American family endures the internment camps of World War II.
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34
The Ranch 1997
Three college friends reunite at a Wyoming ranch to mend their broken lives.
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35
The Ghost 1997
A heartbroken architect finds solace in an old house and a centuries-old love story.
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36
The Long Road Home 1998
A survivor of childhood abuse searches for faith, love, and peace.
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37
The Klone and I 1998
A playful, comic romance involving a suspiciously perfect double.
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38
Bittersweet 1999
A former photojournalist must choose between a safe marriage and her true self.
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39
Journey 2000
A Washington power couple's perfect image hides a dark private truth.
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40
The Wedding 2000
A glittering Hollywood wedding brings chaos and romance.
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41
Leap of Faith 2001
An orphaned heiress returns to France to reclaim her legacy.
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42
The Kiss 2001
A single kiss before a devastating accident binds two married strangers together.
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43
The Cottage 2002
A faded Hollywood legend and his unlikely housemates find second acts.
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44
Safe Harbour 2003
A grieving girl and a solitary artist heal each other on a foggy Northern California beach — later a popular film adaptation.
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45
Ransom 2004
Three strangers' lives intersect in a heart-pounding kidnapping.
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46
Echoes 2004
A Jewish family's fate echoes across two generations from World War I through the Holocaust.
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47
Impossible 2005
An elegant gallery owner and a wildly bohemian artist attempt the impossible: each other.
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48
Sisters 2007
Four sisters move in together after a tragedy transforms their family.
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49
Rogue 2008
A doctor's maddening, irresistible ex-husband crashes back into her life.
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50
One Day at a Time 2009
A Hollywood matriarch's tabloid life collides with quiet, real love.
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51
Legacy 2010
A modern woman uncovers the story of a Sioux ancestor in 18th-century France.
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52
Hotel Vendôme 2011
A hotelier raises his daughter amid the glamour of a luxury New York hotel.
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53
Until the End of Time 2013
Two love stories separated by decades suggest love never dies.
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54
Pegasus 2014
A family flees Nazi Germany with two prized Lipizzaner horses and joins an American circus.
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55
Undercover 2015
A former DEA agent and a diplomat's ex-wife are drawn into danger in Paris.
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56
Blue 2016
A grieving TV journalist takes in a homeless teenager carrying a terrible secret.
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57
The Mistress 2017
A Russian oligarch's beautiful mistress risks everything for freedom and love.
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58
Fall from Grace 2018
A widow loses everything overnight and rebuilds from the ground up.
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59
Blessing in Disguise 2019
A mother of three daughters by three very different fathers reckons with her past.
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60
Spy 2019
A young British aristocrat becomes a secret intelligence agent across World War II and beyond.
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61
Moral Compass 2020
A scandal at an elite prep school tests families and loyalties.
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62
Royal 2020
A princess hidden away during World War II leaves a secret royal legacy.
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63
All That Glitters 2020
A privileged young woman learns the difference between glitter and gold.
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64
The Affair 2021
A publishing star's marriage is shaken by her husband's very public affair.
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65
Invisible 2022
A woman who spent her life unseen steps into the spotlight of Hollywood.
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66
Palazzo 2023
A Venetian heiress fights to save her family's leather empire and ancestral palazzo.
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67
Only the Brave 2024
A courageous young woman defies the Nazis in wartime Berlin.
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The movies READ IT BEFORE YOU WATCH IT
Kaleidoscope 1990
Based on: Kaleidoscope
NBC TV movie starring Jaclyn Smith as the sister searching for her lost siblings.
Jewels 1992
Based on: Jewels
Golden Globe-nominated two-part NBC miniseries starring Annette O'Toole and Anthony Andrews.
Zoya 1995
Based on: Zoya
NBC TV movie starring Melissa Gilbert as the Russian countess in exile.
The Ring 1996
Based on: The Ring
TV miniseries starring Nastassja Kinski, spanning Nazi Germany to America.
Safe Harbour 2007
Based on: Safe Harbour
TV movie adaptation of her beachside story of grief and healing.
Frequently asked questions
How many books has Danielle Steel written?
Danielle Steel has published more than 190 books since her 1973 debut Going Home, including over 140 novels plus nonfiction and children's books. She routinely releases several new novels every year. The list on this page covers her ~60 most notable and best-selling novels.
Do Danielle Steel books need to be read in order?
No. Nearly all of Danielle Steel's novels are standalones with no shared characters or continuing storylines, so you can read them in any order. Reading in publication order is only useful if you want to follow how her style evolved from the 1970s to today.
What is Danielle Steel's best-selling or most popular book?
Her sagas from the late 1980s and early 1990s — Kaleidoscope, Zoya, Jewels, and Fine Things — are generally considered her most popular, and several were adapted into hit TV miniseries. The Gift (1994) and Safe Harbour (2003) are also frequent fan favorites.
How many copies has Danielle Steel sold?
Danielle Steel has sold more than 800 million copies worldwide, making her the best-selling living author. Her books have been translated into dozens of languages, and she holds the record for the most consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.