Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina, where he now lives with his wife, Harriet, in a house built in 1797.
He taught himself to read when he was four with the incidental aid of a twelve-years-older brother, and was tacklng Mark Twain and Jules Verne by five. He is a graduate of The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics. He served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army; among his decorations are the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star with "V," and two Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry. A history buff, he has also written dance and theater criticism. He enjoys the outdoor sports of hunting, fishing, and sailing, and the indoor sports of poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.
He has been writing since 1977 and intends to continue until they nail shut his coffin.
...and we hope that won't be any time soon. The first book of the Wheel of Time was published in 1990, and the ten book -- which is not the last -- was published in 2003. The good news, though, is that Robert Jordan is planning to end the series in two more books, or that is what is planned. After he ends the series, he is planning two more prequels to the books.
So, what's the next book? The eleventh book is titled Knife of Dreams. I definitely will be looking forward to that one.
There are beaucoup and beaucoup of information about The Wheel of Time series out there on the web. Everything from character lists -- which is numbered up into the hundreds -- to theories of what the books mean and even artwork. You can visit some of these websites here. On my site, I have included the glossary (most of it) that are at the backs of every book here.
As you can tell, Robert Jordan is just a pen name. His real name is James Oliver Rigney, Jr. He has also written under the names Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly. He has definitely written lots of books, not just The Wheel of Time Series. Here's a list of all his books:
- The Wheel of Time (written under Robert Jordan)
- New Spring: The Novel (2004)
The Eye of the World (1990)
The Great Hunt (1990)
The Dragon Reborn (1991)
The Shadow Rising (1992)
The First of Heaven (1993)
Lord of Chaos (1994)
A Crown of Swords (1996)
The Path of Daggers (1998)
Winter's Heart (2000)
Crossroads of Twilight (2002)
Knife of Dreams (2005)
- Fallen (written as Reagon O'Neal)
- The Fallon Blood (1995)
The Fallon Pride (1981)
The Fallon Legacy (1982)
- Conan Series (written as Robert Jordan)
- Conan the Invincible (1982)
Conan the Defender (1982)
Conan the Unconquered (1983)
Conan the Triumphant (1983)
King of Thieves (1984)
Conan the Destroyer (1984)
Conan the Magnificent (1984)
Conan the Victorious (1984)
- Adventures of Conan (written as Robert Jordan)
- The New Adventures of Conan (1985)
The Conan Chronicles (1995)
The Conan Chronicles II (1997)
The Further Chronicles of Conan (1998)
- Novels... (written as Jackson O'Reilly)
- Cheyenne Raiders (1982)
Last updated April 6, 2005