Dune, the desert planet known to the Imperium as Arrakis, is home of the fabled sandworms and the sole source of the geriatric drug melange, better known as spice. Its history is documented in a series of science fiction novels by Frank Herbert.

• “Dune” (New York: Berkley Pub., 1965).
• “Dune Messiah” (New York: Berkley Pub., 1969).
• “Children of Dune” (New York: Berkley Pub., 1976).
• “God Emperor of Dune” (New York: Berkley Pub., 1981).
• “Heretics of Dune” (New York: Berkley Pub., 1981).
• “Chapterhouse: Dune” (New York: Berkley Pub., 1986).

The universe of Dune has been further elaborated in prequels written by Frank Herbert's son, Brian Herbert, in collaboration with Kevin J. Anderson. The novels that have been so far published are:

• “The Butlerian Jihad” (New York: Tor, 2002).
• “House Atreides” (New York: Bantam, 1999).
• “House Harkonnen” (New York: Bantam, 2000).
• “House Corrino” (New York: Bantam, 2001).

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are currently working on two novels set between “Butlerian Jihad” and “House Atreides”.

In addition to the Dune novels, several other books provide information and insights into the Dune universe:

• “Songs of Muad'dib: Poems and Songs from Frank Herbert's 'Dune' Series and His Other Writings”. Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert (editor). (New York: Ace, 1992).
• “The Illustrated Dune.” Frank Herbert, John Schoenherr (illustrations). (New York: Berkley Pub., 1965).
• “The Dune Encyclopedia”. Willis E. McNelly. (New York: Berkley, 1984).
• “The Notebooks of Frank Herbert's Dune”. Brian Herbert, ed. (New York: Perigee Books, 1988).
• “The Maker of Dune: Insights of a Master of Science Fiction”. Frank Herbert, Tim O'Reilly (editor). (New York: Berkley, 1987).
• “Frank Herbert”. Timothy O'Reilly. (Ungar: 1981; available online at http://tim.oreilly.com/sci-fi/herbert/index.html).
• “The Making of Dune”. Ed Naha. (New York: Berkley Books, 1984).
• “The Secrets of Frank Herbert's Dune”. James Van Hise and Michael D. Messina. (New York: I Books, 2000).

Furthermore, three movie adaptations of the novels have been made to date, with more adaptations in production. The most famous version is David Lynch's “Dune” (1984), which was originally seen in theaters. Two further versions are available: a two and a half hour-long director's cut and a three hour version, from which Lynch had his name removed.

Recently, the Sci-Fi Network has produced “Frank Herbert's Dune” (2000) and “Frank Herbert's Children of Dune” (2003), with plans to produce further movies underway.