Clive Cussler photo by Shelley D. Spray

Clive Cussler, the Grand Master of the American action adventure novel, grew up in Alhambra, California. He later attended Pasadena City College for two years, but then enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War where he served as an aircraft mechanic and flight engineer in the Military Air Transport Service. Upon his discharge, he became a copywriter and later creative director for two of the nation's leading ad agencies. At that time, he wrote and produced radio and television commercials that won numerous international awards one at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

Cussler began writing in 1965 and published his first novel featuring Dirk Pitt® in 1973. His first non-fiction work, THE SEA HUNTERS, was released in 1996. Because of this work the Board of Governors of the Maritime College, State University of New York considered THE SEA HUNTERS in lieu of a Ph.D. thesis and awarded Cussler a Doctor of Letters degree in May of 1997. It was the first time since the College was founded in 1874 that such a degree was bestowed.

As THE SEA HUNTERS and THE SEA HUNTERS II relate, Cussler is the founder the National Underwater & Marine Agency, (NUMA) a 501C3 non-profit organization that dedicates itself to American maritime and naval history. Cussler and his crew of marine experts and NUMA volunteers have discovered over 60 historically significant underwater wreck sites. After verifying their finds, NUMA turns the rights to the artifacts over to non-profits, universities, or government entities all over the world. Some of these finds include the C.S.S. Hunley, best known as the first submarine to sink a ship in battle; the Housatonic, the ship the Hunley sank; the U-20, the U-boat that sank the Lusitania; the Cumberland, sunk by the famous ironclad, Merrimack; the Confederate raider Florida; the Navy airship, Akron; the Republic of Texas Navy warship, Zavala, found under a parking lot in Galveston, Texas; and the remains of the Carpathia, the valiant ship that braved icebergs to rescue the survivor's of the Titanic. In addition to being Chairman of NUMA, Cussler is a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He has also been honored with the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding underwater exploration.

A noted collector of classic automobiles, Cussler owns 85 of the finest examples of custom coachwork and 50's convertibles to be found anywhere. They are garaged near Golden, Colorado. Today, Cussler divides his time between the mountains of Colorado and the deserts of Arizona.

Cussler's books are published in more than 40 languages in more than 100 countries with a readership of more than 125 million avid fans. His internationally best selling books are:

	The Mediterranean Caper. First published November 1973 as a Mass Market Paperback by Pyramid Books.
	Iceberg. First published September 1975 as a Hardcover by Dodd, Mead, & Company.
	Raise the Titanic! First published October 1976 as a Hardcover by Viking Press.
	Vixen 03. First published October 1978 as a Hardcover by Viking Press.
	Night Probe! First published August 1981 as a Hardcover by Bantam Books.
	Pacific Vortex! First published January 1983 as a Mass Market Paperback by Bantam Books.
	Deep Six. First published May 1984 as a Hardcover by Simon & Schuster.
	Cyclops. First published 1986 as a Hardcover by Simon & Schuster.
	Treasure. First published 1988 as a Hardcover by Simon & Schuster.
	Dragon. First published June 1990 as a Hardcover by Simon & Schuster.
	Sahara. First published May 1992 as a Hardcover by Simon & Schuster.
	Inca Gold. First published April 1994 as a Hardcover by Simon & Schuster.
	Shock Wave. First published January 1996 as a Hardcover by Simon & Schuster.
	The Sea Hunters. First published September 1996 as a Hardcover by Simon & Schuster. (non-fiction)
	Flood Tide. Simon & Schuster. First published September 1997 as a Hardcover by Simon & Schuster.
	Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed. First published November 1998 as a Mass Market Paperback by Pocket Books. (non-fiction)
	Serpent. First published May 1999 as a Trade Paperback by Pocket Books. (from the NUMA Files)
	Atlantis Found. First published December 1999 as a Hardcover by G. P. Putnam's Sons.
	Blue Gold. First published 2000 as a Trade Paperback by Pocket Books. (from the NUMA Files)
	Valhalla Rising. First published August 2001 as a Hardcover by G. P. Putnam's Sons.
	Fire Ice. First published 2002 as a Hardcover by G. P. Putnam's Sons. (from the NUMA Files)
	The Sea Hunters II. First published December 2002 as a Hardcover by G. P. Putnam's Sons. (non-fiction)
	White Death. First published June 2003 as a Hardcover by G. P. Putnam's Sons. (from the NUMA Files)
	Golden Buddha. Berkley Books. First published October 2003 as a Trade Paperback. (from the OREGON Chronicles)
	Trojan Odyssey. Published November 2003 as a Hardcover by G. P. Putnam's Sons. First appearance was a UK printing.
	Lost City. Published July 2004 as a hardcover by G. P. Putnam's Sons.
	Black Wind. Published November 2004 as a hardcover by G. P. Putnam's Sons. First appearance was a UK printing.
	Polar Shift. Published August 2005 as a hardcover by G. P. Putnam's Sons.
	Sacred Stone. Published January 2005 as a trade paperback by Berkley Trade.
	Dark Watch. Published November 2005 as a trade paperback by Berkley Trade.
	Vin Fiz. Published February 2006 as a hardcover by Philomel Books.
	Skeleton Coast. Published October 2006 as a trade paperback by Berkley Trade.
	Treasure of Khan. Published December 2006 as a hardcover by G. P. Putnam's Sons.